Akame Ga Kiru! : The Rising Phoenix (Rewritten)
by Jerry236
Summary: A boy, gifted with the power of Pyrokinesis has come a long way from home to stop the Minister and save the corrupted capital. He will face many hardships along the way and is nearly prepared to face judgement. This is a rewritten story.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

**Hello Everyone, this is the story of Akame ga Kiru.**

**Disclaimer : If you are unfamiliar with the Manga and/or Anime, I suggest you read the Manga or watch the Anime first. With this in mind, you should know the feelings towards the story in question will not be accurately. With that in mind, the creator of the story has no intention of offending the creators Takahiro, Tetsuya Tashiro, Square Enix, its franchise, the series itself, or the people who like the series. Without further a do, enjoy the story.  
**

**Hello Everyone, this is my first story of Akame Ga Kill. I am using a new OC character to fit in the story. This character's story will cross with Night Raid soon enough.**

* * *

**Year 1024**

There is a young man with a one-handed sword, searching for souvenirs within the mountains. The young man has fare skin, a bit of a tan. He also had average neck length hair, the color of his hair was dark brown, golden eyes. He is only 17 years old. Flare wields a one-handed sword uses to fight off bandits and Danger Beasts. The clothes he wear are a red buttoned shirt, dark blue pants and brown boots. His name is Flare.

Flare possesses an Elemental-Type Imperial Arms called the **Sun God Ashburning : Sunstrider! **It is an Elemental-Type Imperial Arms that gives its user the power to control fire and ash. You can create any any type of attack you want with it, but the catch is that there is no original Trump Card, so you would have to make one up. Sunstrider was said to be as powerful and dangerous Demon's Extract.

It originated from an S-Class Danger Beast. A phoenix which lived inside of a Volcano, south from the Empire. There is only one phoenix in the world.

It is impossible to catch by normal people, but not impossible to Imperial Armed users. Legends say that almost at the end of its life, it hides and lays an egg inside of a volcano where no one could get it. Once the new phoenix is born, the old one dies. Its blood was used to create an Imperial Arms, and only those who drink the blood will gain Pyrokinesis.

You have to be strong-willed, body and mind to drink the blood. Those who are not strong-willed or do not reach the requirements will burn of thirst and die out. Those whom possess the Imperial Arm will gain a fiery mark of a bird on their back and their eyes will shine golden eyes. They can create, control, and into transform fire at will.

Flare had roamed through the woods within the mountains for personal training. He accidentally came across a Danger Beasts' home, where he had a group of giant dark brown skin, red-eyed mountain boars with gray manes going down their backs. They approached the young man looking to eat him.

"Come and get it you pigs." Flare quietly said as he faced the boars.

The boars grunted charged head first into their prey, Flare dodges the first boar. "Too slow." Says Flare who is easily dodging wild Boar. "Sorry guys, but I have a village to feed. Let's get this started." The boar howled began to dodge at full speed, Flare pulled out one of his sword and slashed one of the boars on the side causing it to crash into a rock and lose conscious.

The other two boars charged in at once and they had shared the same fate. The last boar stood scared and decided to tuck its tail and run. "Aw, I thought it wanted to fight," Flare turned and looked at all the boars that are down. Flare sighed. "Looks like these will do."

An hour later, Flare had left the mountains and back to his home village. He lived in a village called Ragako. A small, peaceful and village, which is located northeast from the Empire, many kilometers away. Ragako village is located near the snowy mountains. Everyone who lives in Ragako village are normal people such as men, women, children, orphans, elders and retired veterans. The number of people that live in Ragako estimate up to one hundred.

The first place that Flare went to was the orphanage. He walked and saw the door to the orphanage crack open slightly. Flare paused, as he someone through a cracked door. Flare narrowed his eyes a bit, trying to see who it was behind the door a from a few feet. He then saw something pink and it gave him a hint on who it was. Flare realized a girl was hiding behind the door, and he smiled. "Hmph,"

Flare waved to the girl hiding behind the door. "It's okay. It's just me."

The girl then gasped in relief as she opened the door. A girl had ran out of the orphanage and towards Flare. Bubbles of water had left her eyes as she ran. Flare bent a knee so he can hug the girl back as she ran towards him. The two had finally embraced, given a moment of hugging one another. She was girl with long pink hair, pink eyes and fair skin. She had a matching pink hat, pink coat and pink boots. Her name was Air.

"I'm so glad you're okay, Flare." Air said with bubbles of water forming in her eyes. She rested her hair

Flare responded by hugging Fal back. "I'm glad you're okay, too, Air."

Two more girls had approached Flare this time. A girl had shoulder length golden blonde hair, Amber eyes and fair skin. She had an orange coat with matching orange boots. The other girl had ran out the orphanage, as Air did. Her name was Fal.

"Flare, you made it!" Fal said, as she rushed and hugged Flare as well. She laughed as Flare had caught her

Flare held both Air and Fal within her arms. "I'm happy to see you, too, Fal."

The other girl had with neck length blue hair, aqua blue eyes and fair skin had carefully walked out the orphanage, so she won't fall. She also wore a blue jacket with rabbit ears attached to its hood matching her boots. Her name with Luna.

"Slow down, Fal. You might fall next time." Luna said, acting cautious.

"Luna. You wanna join in? It'll be fun." Flare insisted that Luna joined their group hug. Luna blushed a bit and nodded. She then walked to Flare and scooch'd in between Air and Fal. Now Flare's bear hug was filled with three pre-teens. He used his strength to lift the three girls off the ground, a few centimeters where their feet couldn't touch the ground. The girls gasped in surprise, then laughed.

A young woman with long blonde hair tied in one braid, sapphire blue eyes. She was dressed as a nun's uniform. She seemed to be in her early twenties. She had walked out of an orphanage with a broom, sweeping away dust bunnies out the building. Her name was Sister Lisa.

Sister Lisa gasped, as she saw Flare bear hugging and swinging Air, Fal and Luna around, left and right. Her face then turned red out of embarrassment. "F-Flare! W-what are you doing! You have to stop!" she yelled in a shy voice.

"Huh?" Flare suddenly stopped swinging as he heard another feminine voice. He turned his head towards the orphanage and saw Sister Lisa, with an embarrassment look on her face. "Oh, hey sis."

"You have to put the girls down now, before father sees what you're doing." Lisa said, while covering her face, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"Oh? Okay..." Flare then gently set down the girls

"Aw, but I like it when Flare swing us around!" Fal pouted.

"Sorry, Fal. I wish I could do it longer." Flare apologized, then looked at Sister Lisa. _'Sister Lisa hasn't gotten over her nervous habit, yet.' _

Sister Lisa is usually shy, except when it comes to children. The thing about her shyness is if she sees or hear anything inappropriate, she would easily get nervous and call Father Christopher, instantly. Women can become Nuns, and Nuns are not allowed to marry. Sister Lisa became a Nun at age fifteen. The reason she became a nun was because she didn't want to be harassed by men or be forced into marriage.

"You okay, sis?"

"Y-yes, I'm fine. T-thank you for asking!" Sister Lisa covered her face.

_'No she's not...' _Flare thought as he looked at her.

"S-so, Flare. H-how was y-your trip?" Sister Lisa's nervousness was starting to slowly fade away. She opened up one of her fingers to take a peak at Flare, while still covering her face.

"Yeah, tell us Flare. How was your trip?" Fal asked Flare as well.

"Well, I did find some souvenirs in the terrain. Also, I accidentally stumbled into a boar's in the woods." Flare answered.

"Oh wow! I wanna go out hunting like you, Flare. But, father says I'm too young to hunt..." Fal pouted again.

Flare chuckled and patted Fal's head filled with hair. "Aw, don't pout. When you're ready, I'll take you out hunting."

"Really?"

"That's a promise." Flare nodded.

Fal gasped in happiness. "Alright!" She threw some jabs at the air. "I'm gonna be able to hunt!"

"Hey Flare, were you able to find anything in the mountains?" Luna asked.

"Luna. It's been good. I found some shiny stones by the river and I thought you would want it." Flare took out a single round shiny blue stones from his pocket.

Luna gasped as she takes the stone. "Thank you so much!"

"Um, Flare? Is there anything for me?" Air asked.

Flare checked his pockets to and his bag to find nothing valuable. "Sorry, Air. I don't have anything else on me, right now. But I promise that next time, I'll find something that you'll like.

"Okay." Air replied. Then another question had hit her mind. "Flare, is it true you're going to the capital?" Air asked.

"Yeah. I'm thinking about going soon, to get money and do what I can for this place." Flare answered.

"In that case, Can I-"

"Good day to everyone." An elder man had appeared out of nowhere. He is a tall man in a black catholic suit, short clean gray hair, small batch of hair on his chin and wears dorky glasses. He is called Father Christopher.

"F-Father!" Sister Lisa's shyness quickly went away when she saw him.

"Father," Air, Fal and Luna greeted.

Father Christopher is a priest of a church and the head of an orphanage. He looks after the orphanage and church within the village. Everyone calls him either father, or the priest. Sometimes, Flare would just call him old man and get smacked for it. Father Christopher is the reason Ragako village has not been harassed by the Empire, and everyone in the village respects him.

"Hey, old man." Flare joked. He was soon met with a punch in the center of his head. "Ow!" He grunted. "What was-

"Call me Father! I've worked hard to earn and maintain that title!" Father Christopher co-medically yelled at him. "Eh-hem. Sorry about that." He then cleared his voice. "So how is everyone doing today?"

"Father Christopher. Flare just came back from his trip in the mountains, and now he says he's planning on going to the capital." Fal said.

"Oh?"

"Isn't that great?" Fal said with excitement.

"It must sound wonderful, though." Father Christopher smiled. Next thing they knew, the hourly bell on the bell tower had rung. Father Christopher checked the time and it was six o' Clock. The sun was setting. "It looks like it's almost supper time." He turned to Sister Lisa. "Sister Lisa. I think it's time that you take the girls in."

Sister Lisa lost track a bit. "Oh, right. Yes, Father!" She then took Air, Fal and Luna inside the orphanage.

Flare was about to follow the girls inside as well, until he was called by Father Christopher, himself.

"Flare. I want to speak to you in private."

* * *

Flare had followed Father Christopher into his office inside of a church. He locked the door behind him, so that no one could sneak in or eavesdrop.

"Now that we're here, I want to ask you something... Have you been using… THAT power?" Father Christopher asked.

"No. Ever since you told me to not to use that power, I've been under complete control." Flare said.

"Other than me and Sister Lisa... Does anyone else, such as Air, Fal or Luna know of your powers?"

"No, I don't think so. I never told or showed anyone. You told me not to use my powers in front of other people, because people are see me as a monster or a devil."

"That's correct. Now let me ask you another question." Father Christopher put his hands together.

"What is it?"

"You said you that you will be leaving the Empire, correct?

"Uh, yeah."

"Are you aware what's in the Empire?" Father Christopher's eyes had sharpened.

"Yes. That's where the Imperial Army is from, right?" asked Flare.

"No. I asked you, are you aware of what's IN the Empire?" the Priest asked him again.

"No, I don't know what actually goes on in there." Flare answered.

"Good. That's why I'm here to tell you. Listen, there's something you must know." Father Christopher was getting ready to spill a hard truth. "The Empire is no ordinary Empire. The place is filled with monsters, not the ones you fight from time to time, but humans."

"Sorry old man, but I don't think I follow you."

"Call me Father, or don't say anything at all!" Father Christopher comedically yelled again. He pressed his glasses back to his face, as they almost fell off. "What I mean is that there are people inside the capital are people who are complete monsters. They are gruesome, cruel, they do things to others for their own sake of entertainment. You can't trust anyone inside the Empire, unless the ones you come across is hoping to change it for the better."

"Wait, why is the Empire like that?" Flare asked.

Father Christopher sighed. "That's the hard part I want to tell you. The Empire is living through terror because of a man named is Honest. He is the current Prime Minister and the more reason the Empire is on the brink of self-destruction, and most of all..." The room was in silence for a moment. "Flare... this might be hard on you, you might get frustrated and all-"

"You can just say it." Flare was ready to hear the truth.

"Prime Minister Honest is your biological father." Christopher said. Flare's eyes widened.

Father Christopher puts his hand on Flare's shoulder. "Look. I know it sounds difficult to take in, but it's the truth..."

"So I'm his son, huh?" Flare asked with his eyes shadowed.

"Yes."

"I guess since he's evil... that make me his devil child since I have fire powers, right?" Flare started to take things the wrong way.

"No, that's not how it works."

"And how long have you known about this?" Flare asked.

"For a long time now."

"Why? Why did it have to be me?!" Flare lashed out, also knocking off the Priest's hand.

"I don't have the answers myself, I'm a Priest, not a Miracle Worker!"

"If he's my dad, why am I not with him then?!" Flare shouted.

"Because, he cares about no one but himself! I've known the man my entire life! I know his kind, he is evil down to the core. If he was somehow in trouble, he would murder those and pin the blame on someone innocent within a heartbeat. That's the type of guy he is!"

"If he's that evil, why did you take me in, his son?!" Flare shouted.

"Because you're nothing like him! You were small and innocent! You think he cares about his own flesh and blood? I took you in because I knew what they do to illegitimate children! If he found out you were his son, he would've fed you to the hungry dogs! I saved you and brought you here when you were a toddler." Father Christopher panted, then calmed down. "And plus, he's the one who has been pressing heavy taxes." He added before drinking a cup water.

"Where did you even get that water?!." Flare asked shocked.

"Back to where I was..." Father Christopher said while wiping his glasses. "That's not all. Right now there is a child emperor he is manipulating."

"A child emperor?" Flare asked in concern.

"Yes. He chose a child to become an emperor. The reason he picked a child is because he knows that most children can be somewhat of naïve, and they don't know what waits for them in the outside world. The Emperor is basically a puppet."

"Wait, a puppet could be an emperor?" Flare imagined a puppet with a crown sitting on a throne chair, ruling.

"N-no! The child Emperor is being used as a puppet by the Minister."

"Oh. So what do you want me to do about it?"

"If you can, it'll be best for everyone if you could stop the Minister."

"How? Are you asking me to kill the Minister?" Flare asked.

"ARE YOU KIDDING!?" The Priest said after comically punching Flare square in the head.

"What was that for?" Flare asked as he kept rubbing the top of his head.

"It's called acting careless, if someone hear you say that from inside the capital, even in a remark of a question, you will be beheaded!" Father Christopher yelled in a quieter voice. "Look, do what you must, but the job won't be easy. He has followers within the capital, who will defend him at all costs. Be careful. Never let your guard down."

"Alright."

"There's also another topic I want to bring up. Have you ever heard of Imperial Arms?"

"Not really..." Flare said honsetly.

"That fire power... you possess. It's not something an ordinary person carries. It's really an Imperial Arms."

Flare jumped up. "Wait, what?"

"Yes. There are up to 48 Imperial Arms in total. You currently have two Imperial Arms."

"Two Imperial Arms!?"

"Yes. In general, only one person can possess one Imperial Arm at a time. If a person try to break their limit, it will slowly destroy the body and they will die. Other than your flames, you possess another Imerial Arms. It is called..."

**The Child of God : Stripeless. **It is a Support-Type Imperial Arms, a golden crucifix that has the ability of infinite regeneration. It can regenerate any part of the body, healing and restoring all injuries including broken bones, punctured organs, an amputated eyeball, a severed spine, a demolished heart, amputated arms and legs, even a mushed brain, but it would take time to heal. As long as they are still clinging on to an ounce of life, they will recover.

To possess Stripeless, you need to be Pure of Heart and kind soul. The Imperial Arms will be absorbed through the user's body. If a person were sadistic or evil, it will not work. If a kind person were to turn cold-hearted, Stripeless would reject them. If the user were to remove Stripeless from his/her body, they would have to make up a password that no one knows. It is possible for a person to plant Stripeless into another person's body, so long as they are pure of heart.

When the user is severely injured, the Imperial Arms will activate automatically healing the user's body. This is the only exception when using two Imperial Arms. If the user were injured and while fighting with their second Imperial Arms, the healing process will take longer up to weeks of healing. If a person were to use the Imperial Arm with a dead organ, it will not work because Imperial Arms can't bring back the dead.

Father Christopher had finally explained what Stripeless does. "And that's what Stripeless does. As long as you have it, you'll be fine. I also came u with a password for you to remember. If you were to transfer your Imerial Arms to someone else, like in innocent dying child..."

"What is it?"

"First, you must cross your heart." Flare did the Cross my Heart sign hand signs. "Then you say, Cross My Heart and Hope to Die. Then the crucifix will merge into the host's body.

The Priest searched through a drawer and pulled out a book. "This book will tell you everything you need to know. I once was in the possession of a book, which had information about Imerial Arms. I copied the book down, Word from word, picture from picture. And I was right."

Flare took the book. "So, it's all in this book?"

"Yes. Study it."

"And another thing I should tell you. In the capital, there is a group of Assassins who roams the night calling themselves Night Raid."

"I think I've heard of them before, I thought it was some kind of Danger Beast. So, they just murder people?" Flare asked.

"Yes. But it's only certain people. It's not like people at random. I don't have the full details. Maybe they're doing it to cause war, or they're doing it to cause peace. Their objectives are unknown. If you encounter Night Raid, fight to live, if must kill so be it." said the Priest.

"Ok, I'll take your advice very seriously." Said Flare with a serious face.

"Another thing, do not use your Imperial Arms in public, they will either kill you on the spot or use you to bolster their military forces." Father Christopher had warned.

"Flare. I'm going to train you before you depart. Right now, the Empire is looking for as many Imperial Arm users as possible,"He placed his hands on Flare's shoulders once more. "I'm going to tell you a story about my youth."

"A story?"

"When I was young, my mother was killed shortly after I was born. When I was seven years old, I was sold to the capital by my abusive alcoholic father. The capital had at least two hundred children at the time, they made us participate in a cruel exams. We had to fight for our lives in order to survive in this cruel world. I was a crybaby at that time. The only reason I survived the exam was because an older girl had taken pity on me. I passed the exams that day," the priest sighed. "And then, that's when it all started."

"What?"

"My life had changed for the worst. I was trained to become an assassin for the Imperial Capital."

"An assassin? You killed people?" Flare questioned.

"Yes. The capital was an entirely different place. As a kid, I was brainwashed to believe that killing people whom would pose a threat to the capital was the best thing. For the next twenty years, I had taken the lives of men, women, elders, even children. One day, I was assigned to be the bodyguard of your father, Honest. We became close friends over time. Honest was a rich and thinner man in his youth. As I guarded him for fifteen years, he was an evil a wicked man. He committed heinous crimes as any other. Grand theft, raping women, killing innocent people. And that's when I knew that the Empire was corrupted. I started questioning myself... about the people that I've killed all these years. What was I really doing?"

"So you just hung up your gear and ran away?"

"Haha, but no. Once you join the Imperial Army, you're stuck their forever. If you leave the Empire without permission, you'll be branded as a traitor and will be hunted down." the Priest explained.

"I get it."

I wasn't allowed to retire from the life of being an assassin. So the best thing I did was fake my death," the Priest pressed his glasses closer to his eyes with his finger. "After that, I traveled around the country to atone for my sins. That's when I found this village. Shortly after settling down, I found god and started my life as a priest," the Priest reminisced about his past. "Flare. I'm telling you this now because you need to know about the capital. Even though you think you can take it head on, you can't. You need to be ready for this."

"Wait, I'm in the best shape I can be." Flare said.

"Sometimes strength, talent or determination alone isn't enough to survive in the capital. You're gonna need more than that, my son. I'm gonna do something I have never done with anyone else. And that is to teach you how to sense aura." the Priest said.

"Aura?"

"Not that key! QI. "Q.I." Father Christopher had spelled out. The distinctive atmosphere or quality that seems to surround and be generated by a person or an object. Everyone has aura, but not all has unlock them. You can sense aura to try and predict your enemy's movements and in enhance. For example "Father Christopher held up a finger. "The five senses Sight, Sound, Touch, Taste, and Smell. I never taught anyone this before..."

"Wait, why are you teaching me this now?" Flare asked.

"Because you're planning to go to the capital, and you need to know how to survive."

"I was a kid when I learned to sense aura. I learned it from an Imperial Monk, he was wise... I was his successor. He passed his teachings to me, when I find my successor, I'll pass my teachings to him or her." the Priest said.

"So, does that make you a Catholic or a Buddhist?" Flare asked.

"That's not the point!" Father Christopher yelled. "Look, I chose to train you, because out of everyone in the village, you have the most potential and the most possible chance of changing the Empire for the better."

Flare looked kinda confused.

"The question is... are you up for the job? Can I trust you?"

"Yes!" said Flare with a proud expression.

"Good. Your aura sensing training will start tomorrow. We're going to see Sister Lisa first thing in the morning." the Priest said while walking.

"What does Sister Lisa have to do with anything?" Flare asked.

"In case you don't know, Sister Lisa is a pro when using all five sense. We're both going to teach you."

The next day, Flare and Father Christopher walked around the village, looking for Sister Lisa. Villagers would greet both Flare and Father Christopher. They walked to a barn and found Sister Lisa feeding the pigs.

"Ah, there she is." Father Christopher had spotted Sister Lisa at a barn.

"Hey, Lisa!" Flare yelled getting her attention.

Father Christopher punched Flare in the head again, leaving a small bump. "Call her Sister Lisa! She's a nun! Don't just yell out Lisa!"

"Good morning Father, Flare." Sister Lisa greeted.

"Yes, yes. Good morning to you too." Father Christopher greeted.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" Sister Lisa asked.

"Yes,there is. Flare is planning to leave for the capital. Before he leaves, I need you to help teach him how to use all 5 senses at once."

"You want to learn how to sense aura, is that it? Sister Lisa asked.

"Well, yeah you can say that." Flare said.

"Oh, that's easy! I think of it as switch button." Sister Lisa used a switch for an example.

"Wait, a switch button?" Flare asked.

"Yes. I tend to use all senses at once. Think of it as a switch and leave it on automatic. Pretend there are three buttons on top of the other. The upper button is the on switch. The lower button is the on switch. And the one in the middle is automatic." Sister Lisa explained how switches worked.

A light bulb appeared over his Flare's head. "Oh, I get it now."

***Timeskip* **

After a month of training in sensing aura, Flare had finally finished his training. He stood at the village gate and was preparing to depart. Father Christopher, Sister Lisa, Air, Fal, Luna and other young orphan kids from the church had stood to send him off. is still 17 years old, was at the village gate getting ready to depart.

"You did a fine job. Now it's time to for you to head to the capital." Father Christopher said.

"Alright, I'll make sure I'll bring back more money than you could imagine." Flare chuckled.

"And while you're there, make sure you use protection with girls..." Father Christopher.

"F-Father!" Sister Lisa's face turned red as a tomato. Her nervous habit came back, as she was embarrassed of what she just heard. She covered her face.

"What? I was only joking." Father Christopher teased.

_"Sure..." _Flare thought sarcastically.

"Oh, there's one more thing." Sister gives Flare a Cross as a good luck charm. "It's a relic Cross. If you're ever in trouble, God will be there for you." Sister Lisa said.

"Thanks. It's time for me to get going." Flare said.

"Flare!" One of the girls called his name while running towards him.

"Are you really leaving... right now?" Air asked.

"Yes." Flare said.

"Please, I want to go with you!" Air yelled.

"Air! You can't!" Sister Lisa said.

"It's alright, Sister Lisa, I'll take care of it." Flare said. "I know you want to go, but it's too harsh out there for you. The world is a cruel place, and I know that no one has ever asked to be born." Flare said bending on one knee. "Look, I'm be back then less than a year, and I sure won't let anyone kill me. I promise." Flare said. "Have I ever lied to you?" Flare asked.

"N.. no." Air said depressed.

Flare then hugs her. "I promise I will be back, after I complete my mission, I'll come back for you." Flare openly blushed when she heard his words.

"Okay." Flare said.

"Now, I should be off. Until less than a year, so long." Flare said leaving.

"Give them hell, Flare!" Fal yelled.

"Fal, what your mouth!" Sister Lisa chanted.

"Becareful!" Luna yelled.

_"Good luck. Flare." _the Priest thought.

"_Thanks, you guys. There's not a better family I could ask for._" Flare thought while on his journey.

* * *

**Author's Note : Hello everyone, this is my first story of Akame Ga Kiru. **

**I have decided to use an OC character in this story. I was inspired**** by One PIECE's Portgas D. Ace, AKA Firefist Ace. I tend to make Flare his own character different from Ace and any other Pyrokinetic user.**

**The Three girls named Air, Fal, and Luna are charaters in Akame Ga Kiru, they have a brief chapter 23.5 and briefly appeared on episode 24 during the celebration. I decided to give the girls bigger roles than what they had in the series.**

**I've watched the entire series of Akame Ga Kill and noticed their were no fire Elemental-Type Imperial Arm to match against Esdeath's ice-type Imperial Arm, so I created one. We all know that Ice and Fire are polar opposites. I also noticed they said there were 48 Imperial Arms in total, but they have not discovered all 48 of them.**

**The marking on Flare's back almost resembles the logo of Team Valor.**


	2. Enter Seryu Ubiquitous

After a few days had passed since Flare had left his village. It took a while traveling on foot, but he had finally made it to the gates of the capital. Flare looked u at the sky to see it's clear blue with a few white clouds. He walked into town and started to hear voices from the people who noticed him.

"I made it." Flare sighed in relief.

"Hey, check out that guy. ""Is he?" "Yeah. That's the guy. Have you seen him around or anything?" "Don't try anger him, you know how commoners are" "Why are commoners even allowed here?" "Beats me." Some people were randomly gossiping about Flare as he pass.

As Flare would walked through town, he could feel a bunch of people's aura. He looked around and saw some expressions on people's faces. He knows that people have mixed thoughts about him.

_'Dangerous, huh? Look who's talking. So this what the old man meant by monsters. A bunch of discriminators.' _Flare thought as he kept walking. At some point of walking, Flare decided to turn and walk through an alleyway.

Not too long after, Flare approached a man at a wooden cart who is selling apples. He is wearing a black apron, white shirt, a red bow-tie and suspenders.

"How are you doing?" Flare had asked the man.

"Not freaking good!" The market man said pissed.

"Whoa, what the hell happened?" Flare asked rhetorically.

"If you don't got any money, get the hell out of here!" The market man yelled as he lifted his apron, showing his sword on his side.

"Take it easy. I was gonna pay from the start." Flare says giving the man two gold coins.

"Wow Two gold coins. Thanks. At least you can pay." He gave me a bag filled with apples in return. "Sorry about that, a group of keep stealing from me."

"Aren't there any policemen or security down here in the upper levels?"

"That's the problem. I keep asking for security, but the government keep telling that it's gonna cost me more money than I make. I moved to the lower levels because I thought I could make decent business." the man sighed.

"I guess everywhere I hear that everywhere I go. I thought even the slums were PRETTY crappy and cheap." Flare said as he moved his head, looking around.

"Oh, so you're not from here?"

"That's right, I'm a commoner. Oh, while I'm here, can you point me to the Imperial Office?" Flare asked.

"You just got here in the city and you're thinking about enrolling into the Imperial Army?" asked the market man.

"Well, yes. It's for my village, it's poor as hell, and I'm trying to make a living." Flare answered.

"I see." said the market man. "If you make a go up a mile, make a left turn go 2 yards forward, you'll see it, you can't miss it." the market man pointed out.

"Thanks. Hope I see you later." Flare says while parting ways with the market man.

He followed the market man's directions and I made it to an enrollment office before it closed.

"So, you like to enlist in the Imperial Army, do you?" The man handed Flare an application. "Here. Just sign these forms and bring it back to me." said the man behind the desk. The man who told me had a black long-sleeved suit, black hair, and a bored attitude. He I take the forms and look at it for a second.

"So, I'm starting as a private, right?" Flare asked.

"What, you think you're special or something?" asked the man.

"No it's not that, I didn't think it would be this easy."

"What, you think you're some hotshot commoner who's planning to make it in the big city?" the man stood from his seat and pointed at the door. "Because if you are, I suggest you hit the road. I already threw out one kid who thought he was gonna be captain." He suggested.

"What? What are you talking about? Flare asked, a little confused.

The man at the desk sighed and sat back down. "Never mind. Just fill this out and bring this back before we close."

After a few minutes of reading, Flare had filled out the application and gave it back to the guy. "Done."

The man read Flare's signature, and looked at Flare a little different. "Uh… Flare?"

"Yeah, that's my name." Flare said.

"Alright, you will be starting tomorrow. Just come back here at 11 AM, and there will be a soldier or two picking up new recruits." the man said.

"Alright." Flare then went outside and sighed in relief. _'I've actually enrolled in the Imperial Army_.' He smiled and saw a nearby clock. It was almost five O' clock. _'I should find a place to stay the night, while I'm at it.' _

* * *

The next day, Flare had headed back to the recruiting office, as instructed.

"So, you finally came back, eh?" the man at the desk asked.

"Yeah? Is there a problem?"

"Many of these young people usually fill out the application and refuse to show up." He then handed Flare his Imperial uniform. "Here's your uniform. You will continue to wear this on missions, unless you get promoted to an upper rank job." He than punted towards the bathroom at one corner of the office. "There's a bathroom you can change in."

"O… kay?" Flare stared at the bathroom door. Five minutes later, Flare had moved to the bathroom and changed his clothing.

He wore a new Imperial Army uniform, a sword and now he is just sitting on a chair, just waiting for his name to be called on. Two hours later, still Flare had still sat on a chair, still waiting to be called. He was beginning to slouch.

"What is taking so long?" Flare muttered, as his eyes gotten a little heavier. He was about to go to sleep, until he heard a feminine voice.

"Is there anyone named Flare? Flare?" A mysterious girl.

Flare gasped, as his eyes shot up. _'Someone just called my name!' _He instantly shot up from his chair. "I'm Flare! I'm here!" He yelled.

"Oh, so you must be Flare?"

Flare had turned around and saw a girl behind with long Auburn hair put in a ponytail, Amber eyes, wearing an Imperial uniform, just like. She looked cute, but that could be just a fake mask. Oh, and she had this weird looking dog.

_'She's cute.' _Flare thought.

"Starting today, you're my new partner." Seryu said with joy.

The duo walked outside and sat at a round table in town.

"Nice to meet you! Proud member of an Imperial Guard, Seryu at your service! "She said with a solute.

"Oh, likewise." Flare solute back.

Koro started whimpering. Seryu bends down to Koro's level. "Koro, are you hungry? We'll eat, soon." Seryu promised.

Flare stared at Koro a bit. "Come to think about it, what kind of dog is that?"

"Oh, this isn't an ordinary dog, he's my Imperial Arms. It's Hekatonkheires. Don't worry, he only bites bad people." Seryu said as she picked him up. "I hope that you get along with dogs, though."

"Oh, I already like dogs." Koro starts sniffing Flare's left leg. "Uh… Is this normal?" Flare asked.

"Why, yes. Koro's just getting used to your scent." Seryu replied.

"Oh, that's right! We're supposed to start our first assignment together. I know where it is... let's go!" she instantly grabbed his hand. Flare blushed a little, as this had never happened to him before. He felt kinda embarrassed and speechless. Seryu ran like crazy, dragging both Flare and Koro. They ran through a big crowd. It took a few minutes to finally get to the mission board.

"Well, it looks like we made it through that tough crowd, right Koro?" asked Seryu

"Bark!" Koro replied.

"Right Flare? Flare?" she looks around and didn't see him after running through a crowd of people. "Aww, it looks like we lost our new partner, Koro." Seryu pouted a bit. "But we have to go back and look for him. He's still our partner, and we never abandon anyone who needs help, right Koro?" She asked Koro, energetically.

"Bark!" Koro responded.

"I'm up here!" Flare yelled to Seryu.

Seryu looked up to see Flare on a roof close by. "Oh, there you are!" Seryu waved to him.

Flare jumped down and ran caught himself up to Seryu. "Sorry I couldn't keep up with you earlier."

"It's alright, as long as we're all together, nothing can break us apart!" Seryu said cheerful with her fist in the air. All of a sudden Koro starts moving awkwardly.

"Is he… an Imperial Arms?" Flare asked.

"How did you know?" Seryu answered the question with a question.

"I know a someone who knows about Imperial Arms." Flare answered.

"Yes, he's an Imperial Arm. Kor-well that's the name I've given him. He won't cooperate with anyone who doesn't have a high affinity with him." Seryu than began telling a long story of how she met Koro. "None of the top ranked officers weren't able to bond with Koro. So they decided to test with grunts like me. Koro must've bonded with me. I was told that he responded with my righteous heart, and he's been my companion ever since!" Seryu explained.

"That's cute." Flare then looked at a giant board with a bunch of papers on it. "So, this is where we'll be taking assignments?"

"Mm-hmm. This where we'll be doing missions, until we get promoted through ranks." Seryu explained.

Flare slowly looked at the papers on the wall and counted. There had to be a least over three hundred assignments. "That's a lot of assignments needed to be done."

"Well, the crime rate in the lower levels are high, so it's usually busy." Seryu explained the crime rate.

"That's a lot of crime that need to be stopped…" He looked at the missions once more. "Alright, so where do we star-" Flare paused as he looked at the wanted posters another wall board. "These pictures…" He walked towards them, and discovered the Night Raid wanted posters. "Akame… Bulat… and Sheele…" He turned to Seryu. "So, they're Night Raid?" Flare asked Seryu Ubiquitous.

Seryu's smile quickly turned into a frown, as she saw the posters. "Yeah." She said in a dark tone.

"Seryu?"

"Night Raid. They're the scum of this capital..." Seryu said while her upper face is darkened by shadow.

'_Her personality quickly changed when she saw the posters.'_ Flare thought to himself.

"They're a group of assassins who just kill whoever they want, whenever they want... If you look closely, the poster says that they're wanted Dead or Alive… which means not only do we get to kill them, but we'll be awarded handsomely."

"So, if I catch them dead or alive, I'll be rewarded?" Flare asked.

"That's right. Not long ago, they... killed my mentor, Captain Ogre!"

_'Night Raid killed someone she cared about?' _

"They're the real murderers! This is why… I swore to purge evil, to spread justice! I swear on my life, Flare... I will have all of their heads!" Seryu cried in anger with tears bubbling up.

"Seryu!" Flare instantly hugged Seryu before she lost it.

Seryu gasped, as bubbles of water had released. "F-Flare... what are yo-" Seryu began to ask

"I know where you're coming from, and how you feel. You can't allow hatred to turn you into something you swore to fight. You're an Imperial Guard serving justice. Don't lose sight of what's in front of you." Flare told Seryu. A tear fell from Seryu's eye.

"Sorry, Flare." Seryu sniffed a bit. "Okay, I understand." Seryu wiped her face and took a moment.

"Are you feeling better?"

"Right! So, let's gets started with our assignment!" she said cheerfully.

"_How is she so cheerful all over a sudden?!" _Flare was shocked due to her changing in a matter of seconds.

As time passed, Flare and Seryu started taking numerous missions for an entire week. From D-ranking to A-ranking missions and were highly successful. They were taking missions like from getting a cat from a tree, all the way to catching thieves, to stopping human trafficking. As that time they spent together, they have gotten closer, not only as partners, but as friends.

"We did it, Flare! We got a one hundred and sixty-three missions done in the past week!" Seryu yelled cheerfully.

Flare was panting a little. "Wow… I didn't even know you can take a number of missions in one week."

"Yep, you have to be successful in the missions you apply. Now, onto our next assignment." Before Seryu could point to the next mission, her stomach had grumbled. Flare could hear her stomach roar. She blushed a bit and laughed nervously. "Um, let's get something to eat first?"

"Agreed." Flare silently chuckled.

Later on that night, Flare, Seryu and Koro were in a park, ready to ambush Night Raid. Flare is dressed in his uniform, hiding on top of the clock tower, while Seryu and Koro are hiding in a tree.

Flashback

'_They'll be here any moment. I can sense them.'_ Flare thought to himself. A few hours before they set up ambush. Seryu, Koro and Flare decided to meet in a park by a large clock tower.

"So, you're certain is was this woman?" Seryu asked.

"That's her, I sensed a deadly aura. She acts calm, but I could sense her killing intent. I figured it was her. She went that way." Flare telling Seryu while pointing to the West from the rendezvous.

"How could you tell?" Seryu asked.

"She was wearing all purple. That's how I could tell," he remembered something else. "And another thing, she was with someone else, a girl in pink with a huge gun case." Flare dropped extra details.

"I see," Seryu nodded. "So, if this pink girl is part of Night Raid, we'll show her no mercy." Seryu said with confidence.

"Sheele. And it says here that she wields Extase, the giant Scissors?" Flare said while reading the poster.

"Yes, and she was seen with a girl in pink with a giant gun. If she is affiliated with her, we will bring her down too!" Seryu said cheerfully and Koro follows.

Seryu started strategizing for a plan. "Alright. Here's the plan. Koro and I will take down the girl with the gun, while you take down Sheele. Flare will ambush from the from the clocktower, then Koro and I will assault them from the front. We'll split up the two and fight them individually, are we clear?" Seryu asked.

"Bark!" Koro barked in response.

"Good boy," Seryu patted Koro's head, then looked at Flare. "But Flare, I'll feel bad because you don't have an Imperial Arm to fight with." Seryu said worriedly.

"Seryu, about that... There's something I haven't told you." Flare than thought of something.

"Hm, what is it?" Seryu asked.

"I know you told me about Koro being you Imperial Arm, but I also have an Imperial Arm as well." Flare said.

"What? You do?" Seryu asked in confusion.

"Yes. It's not a Weapon or an Organic-Type Imperial Arm, it's more… elemental."

Seryu was a little lost at what he was saying, as she and Koro tilted their heads to the side.

"I never showed this to anyone in the capital. You'll be the first to see... Here, I'll show you." Flare lifted his hand. Seryu and Koro stared closely at his palms, until they saw small flames slowly ignite in his hands. Flare had generated fire in front of them. Seryu gasped as she had witnessed the cool power of Pyrokinesis.

"Whoa! That's amazing!" Seryu praised.

"I can use Pyrokinesis. Meaning, I can control fire." Flare explained.

"I didn't tell you or anyone at first, because I thought you guys would be afraid of me, but now that I've gotten to know you a lot better, I decided to use it at the best time." Flare said while replenishing his fireball.

"Does anyone know about this?" Seryu asked.

"Only a priest in my village. He adopted me. He told me to keep it hidden because he knew the empire would try to use me for it. I'm in full control of it." Flare said.

"Good idea," An idea had just appeared in her head, it was as fast as a speeding bullet. "I just thought of something..." Seryu said while putting her hand to her head.

"What is it?" Flare asked.

"Your firepower, my strong ray of justice, I know what to call it," Seryu said slamming her fist in her other hand. "I call it, the Flame of Justice!" She said with joy.

"That's actually good." Flare said smiling.

"Well, it's actually thanks to you," Seryu said while trying to hide her blush. "_No one else had believed in me either except Koro, Captain Ogre, Dr. Stylish, and now Flare. I will make them all proud!' _

End Flashback

Seryu thought to back to the matter at hand. Seryu stopped thinking about their plan to ambush and continued to hide her presence. _'They're coming.' _Seryu and Koro spots Sheele and Mine running in her direction.

"That Chiguru guy was so obnoxiously careful that I thought we never track him down." Mine said while running with her Imperial Arm, Pumpkin carried in both of her arms.

"Yeah that's true, but at least we completed the mission on time." Sheele replied while also running with a giant pair of scissors in her hand.

"_Now!" _Seryu and Koro had jumped in the space between the two females, causing force to smash the ground below.

Luckily, Mine and Sheele jumped out of the way in the nick of time and landed on their feet intact. They both gasped.

"Who is that? Is it an enemy? I couldn't sense her!" Mine questioned the long-haired red-headed grunt.

"The other guards can't replenish their aura, so she must be someone special." Sheele assumed.

Mine suddenly sensed a person's presence and looked upwards and gasped. She spotted Flare, falling downwards and quickly looked at Sheele. "Sheele, above you!" Mine warned her partner. Sheele looked up and saw Flare coming down with his sword trying to slash her, but was able to block it using her Extase, then used force to push him back to his feet.

"Who the hell is he?" Mine questioned.

Sheele swung at Flare, but he quickly dodged and jumped backwards towards, giving Sheele space. '_If this keep up, we'll just run into reinforcements.' _Sheele thought to herself.

Flare looked at Mine, then Sheele. 'There_ they are. Night Raid_. _Luckily, there's only two of them. I can sense their power, they well trained with their Imperial Arms. The slightest hesitation will get me killed. Remember what the old man said. Fight to live.'_

Seryu looked at the wanted poster again, then looked directly at Sheele. "I know who you are. You're one of the wanted posters. Sheele of Night Raid. And you," Seryu turned to Mine." "You're her accomplice, so that makes you a member of Night Raid, too."

Mine growled a little. _'Damn! They were waiting for us.'_

"I'm so happy. My companion Flare recognized one of you and told me the situation," Mine looked back at Flare. "Finally. I've been wanting to meet you, Night Raid. I am Imperial Guard member, Seryu Ubiquitous! Now, in the name of the Flame of Justice, you two are going DOWN!" Seryu sanely yelled.

"_This it._" Flare thought to himself while preparing for a fight.

* * *

**Author's Note : Thank you guys for reading my Akame ga Kiru! story. This is a renewed story and rewritten. I didn't want to start over at first, then I realized that I made many errors and mistakes. I kept editing and deleting chapters while viewers were reading. I couldn't find a way to end the story the way it was going, so I decided to start over. I promise I will do a lot better with this story.**


	3. The Battle in the Park

Flare and Sheele are starring at each other face to face with confidants, while Seryu and Mine are also starring face to face, and Sheele and Mine are almost back to back.

Mine remained calm and cracked a smile. "Well now that you've blown my cover, you two can either die by my hands, or come with us."

"The poster said you're wanted Dead or Alive, so that means I can kill you," She pointed towards her. "Bandits like you are the reason my father was killed in the line of duty! And you killed my mentor Captain Ogre," Seryu's smile quickly turned into a frown. "I won't forgive any of you!"

"Alright, if you want to die..." Mine aimed at Seryu's body. "I'll put you out of your misery!" She fired a number of bullets at her and Koro jumps in front, shielded Seryu from the attacks.

"Did I get her?" Mine asked silently. After the smoke had cleared, Koro's wounds automatically healed itself and its body had grown five feet taller.

"Oh no, is that what I think it is?" Sheele asked Mine.

"Yes. An organic type of Imperial Arms." Mine said while trying to change her gun, Pumpkin. Flare decided to take advantage and attack Mine, but was she was able to dodge his swing.

"_She's the one who uses long range distance. If we want to win, I have to take her out now." _Flare thought to himself. Seryu runs in front of Flare and pulls out her Guns.

"Tonfa Guns!" Seryu yells and shoots and misses Sheele and Mine.

"_Looks like shooting won't work this far out." _Seryu thought to herself. "Koro, eat! Flare, it's time to go all out!" Seryu said.

"Alright!" Flare gripped the hilt his sword.

"_We're in trouble, we'll dealing with a lunatic and her Imperidal Dog, and a random guy we don't know about. Wait... if he's here with her, is he an Imperial Arm user too? If he is, we're in some kind of trouble'._ Mine thought to as she tried to think about the situation.

Koro charged at Sheele while spinning like a cyclone, but Sheele was able to counter it with a slash from Extase.

"I'm sorry." Sheele muttered as she assaulted Koro. While walking, towards Seryu, Koro gets back up with anger on his face. "Eh?" Sheele heard something behind her, so she turned around and was shocked to see the terrified look on Koro's healing face.

"Sheele! Duck!" Mine yelled as she blasted a wave of energy in Koro's face with a heavy attack. "Are you alright?" she asked in concern.

"Yes." Sheele replied after she caught her breath.

"You can't get careless, Sheele. Organic Type Imperial Arms always have a hidden core you have to destroy, otherwise it keeps regenerating, also it doesn't have a heart so Akame's sword won't work on it," Koro is regenerating again. "And we have another problem."

Sheele drew her eyes towards Flare. "You mean him?"

"Yeah. We don't know anything about this guy, yet."

"So you're saying that if he's here with her, then..."

"He must be an Imperial Arm user like us then." Mine suggested.

"Koro. Bulk up now." Seryu ordered Koro, and it grew out muscular arms covered in slime.

"Ew, so gross." Mine said with a disgusted look on her face.

_'She's not wrong.'_ Flare thought to himself.

"Stand back, Flare." Seryu told.

"Got it." Flare moved behind Seryu.

"Koro, crush them!" Seryu orders. Koro roared and charged at them with a barrage of swinging punches.

"Mine, stay behind me!" Sheele grabbed Extase and used it as defense. Koro is uses throwing fists at Sheele, but she can't hold her grip any longer, nor could she continue to hold her ground. While Mine charges her Pumpkin, Flare jumps to behind Mine.

"_Damn!" _Mine thought to herself while trying to point towards Flare nearly charged.

Flare had taken this opportunity to attack Mine and kept her away while Sheele is dealing with Koro, Seryu took the liberty to call reinforcements with her whistle. "Ah!" Mine and Sheele both noticed and looked at Seryu where she gives them a normal smile. _'Damn it, she just called reinforcements. We're in big trouble, we can't stay here!'_ Mine thought to herself. "Sheele we have to go!"

"I know!" Sheele said calmly.

"But first, I'll blow you sky high!" Mine said pointing at Flare.

"Just try it." Flare said charging towards her.

_"Now's the time to use it._" Sheele used the Extase as the light from the moon reflected on it. "Extase!" Sheele said in a quiet voice, the light shined from her Imperial Arm causing a bright flash which made Flare, Seryu, and Koro to go temporarily blind.

_'That light, it must be her Trump Card!'_ Flare tried to cover his eyes, trying to locate them. He picked up energy coming from behind. By the time he opened his eyes and looked behind, she was on the ground. "Wait, is she-"

"Gotcha!" Mine slidi on the ground towards Flare with a fully charged Pumpkin.

"What the-" Flare said when he found her, with a fully charged Pumpkin to his face.

"Eat point blank, bastard!" Mine yelled and pulled the trigger, which caused Pumpkin to fire at his head, leaving a beam in the sky where reinforcements can easily locate. In a distance, a group of Imperial Soldiers saw the beam from a far.

"There they are!" a soldier points out.

"That must be where the battle has been taken place, at the park!" Another soldier said, then a bunch of soldiers started heading to that location.

"That must be where Seryu is fighting!"

Meanwhile Mine gets up while Flare's body supposed headless body falls. Seryu saw Flare's body collapse and seemed shock. "Flare!" Seryu yelled.

"Well, what do you know? One down, one to go." Mine said with confidentally, while charging at Seryu suddenly smiled. As soon as Mine saw Seryu's smile, she stopped running.

Seryu saw Mine stop, then stopped as well. "Mine, what's wrong?" she asked.

_'__Why is she smiling all of a sudden?'_ Mine thought to herself and then realized. "!" Mine suddenly sensed something from behind. A fireball was thrown right at them. Mine didn't have time to look from behind, so she jumped towards the ground, chest first. So did Sheele.

"What? Where did that come from?" Sheele asked.

"The fight's not over."

Mine's eyes widened in shock and Sheele gasped at the same time when they saw Flare recovering with his intangibility.

"What the heck?" Sheele stood hesitant.

"This guy can use fire?" Mine asked, silently.

"I let you hit me with that kind of blast on purpose. So that reinforcements could locate us. I acted like I didn't know where you were on purpose, so I could lure you out. Basically, I used you as bait." Flare smirked.

"Tch! Bastard..." Mine held her Pumpking both hands. _'This guy can use fire at. That means, he must possess an Elemental-Type Imperial Arm, just like that Esdeath woman. We definitely need to let the boss know about this,' _Mine also looked at Seryu. _'But first, we need to get out of here. If we take too long, reinforcements will definitely arrive and the both us will be captured.'_"This day just couldn't get any worse!" Mine fired a beam from her Pumpkin at Flare.

"Keep your eye on the ball!" Seryu yelled as she and Koro ambushed Mine. She noticed and was able to jump away from Koro's heavy swing to the ground.

"Mine!" Sheeled yelled as she was worried.

"I'll take care of those two on my own, you take out that fiery guy!" Mine yelled while running into the woods, luring Seryu and Koro.

"Right." Sheele replied. Sheele looked over in Flare's direction and quickly blocked a fire bullet that fired from Flare's index finger. Sheele and Flare lock eyes and charge at one another. Flare created another fireball and launched it at Sheele, which caused her to jump in midair and charged downwards. Sheele's Extase and Flare's sword had clashed. "Hya!" Sheele pressed forward while Flare was stuck on the defense. Flare had begun to hear a few cracks. In truth, Flare's sword was starting to crack, due to the peer pressure of Sheele's Extase. Flare jumped backwards to create distance.

_'__She's quite skilled with that weapon. The way she's maneuvering it, it's like they're one person. _He thought as he kept fending off against her weapon. Sheele moved towards the trees where Flare followed her. _'__Wait, is she moving towards her ally?" _He thought while chasing Sheele. Seconds later, Sheele disappeared in the woods leaving no trace. _'__What, where the heck did she go?' __Is she trying to ambush me, or head towards Seryu? I can't let her get to Seryu,'_ Flare stopped to look around and sense her QI._ 'It'll technically be even because Koro's with her-"_ Flare sensed Sheele's QI very close by, when Flare turned around, he knew Sheele had the upper hand. _'__How the heck did I forget they were a pair of Giant Scissors!?'_

Sheele had Extase wide and open ready to slice Flare in two.

"I'm sorry." Sheele said as she was ready to end Flare's life.

_'Crap! I'm stuck! She's gonna cut me like paper!' _Flare had no choice but to activate his Fire Intangibility in his arms and torso to prepare for the worst. _'I don't know where she's striking, but I have to- agh!'_ Until he slipped on wet grass and fell face first. Sheele missed Flare and ended up slicing a tree.

"You dodged my deadly attack..." Sheele noted.

"Dammit." Flare groaned. "I need to be more careful," he got back up on his feet. "You could've cut me in half like a piece of paper, and I would've never be the same."

"My apologies." Sheele slightly bowed her head, then started swinging her Imperial arms, endlessly, like a madman.

"Now, to return you the favor!" Flare chargd towards and was about to swing at Sheele's face, but slipped again on that same wet grass causing Flare's punch to go downwards and hits her right breast, causing Sheele to fall on her but, and Flare landed on his tongue. "Dammit, my tongue!" he shrieked. "That really hurts._"_ he said, slowly getting up. "I_ gotta finish this. But, I did hit her."_ he looked at his hand. _"Wait… I hit her? But where?" _Flare then remembered where he hit her and started getting embarrassed. "Oops, sorry!" Sheele stood back up, with her large scissors ready for round 2. "Wait a minute, I didn't mean to hit you THERE on purpose! I slipped, and I didn't mean to grope you or anything!"

The airhead Sheele got back up and started attacking him without uttering a single word.

_'I guess talking is not her biggest stronghold.'_

* * *

Meanwhile Mine and Seryu were having a gun fight in the woods. Two two females were on different large tree branches for them to stand on. Mine was panting with bruises, and Seryu was hurt, two bullets to the side of her left stomach, a destroyed right arm, the side of her head was bleeding, and Koro already went into Berserk Mode, and is almost nearly recovered from its previous injury. "Koro... as soon as you're done healing... go help Flare." A panting Seryu orders Koro to help Flare after recovering, but Koro gets shot in the back by Mine.

"Hey you! Stop getting sidetracked!" Mine yells at Koro, it then turned around at Mine with an angry look. "Your fight is with me! Both of you!" Mine yelled.

"That's it, I've had it!" Seryu opens her mouth and a hidden gun was revealed. Go to hell!" Seryu yelled firing.

"What the hel—" Before Mine could finish, she nearly got shot in the face if she didn't duck. Mine looked back at the tree behind her and saw the damage to the tree. The whole in the tree was the size of a tennis ball "That was too damn close!" Mine said. When she turned back towards Seryu, Seryu jumped towards Mine and kicked her to the stomach off the branch.

"_Damn it! I got destracted!" _Mine thought to herself.

"Koro! Rebound!" Seryu yelled.

Koro quickly appeared behind Mine while still falling from Seryu's kick. "_It's fast!_" Mine thought. Then Koro served Mine up like she was a volley ball. "Aargh!" Mine was dozens of feet in the air. She had not let go of Pumpkin, her trusty Imperial Arms. _"Damn, what am I supposed to do?"_ Mine thought as she was left flying up in the air.

"Koro, serve!"

Berserker Koro jumped high enough out of the trees appearing in front of Mine in point blank. "Shit!" Mine was horrified to see Koro in close up. She couldn't aim her Pumpkin properly in midair. Koro threw a heavy swing at Mine. Secons before, she knew Koro was going to attack, so she put herself in defense. Mine successfully blocked Koro's heavy swing, but the impact was to great it sent her flying backwards towards the clock tower. The impact of the crash caused a small crater in the clock tower. Mine was in shock due to the impact. She then collapsed face first to the ground, fell unconsciousness. She was of course knocked out.

"MINE!" Sheele yelled as she saw Mine face first from afar.

Sheele tried to run to Mine, but Flare threw a big fireball in front of her. "Hey... we're not done." Flare said with blood dripping from his cheek, then Sheele charged towards Flare with little irritation. She wanted to hurry and reach her comrade.

Meanwhile, Seryu and Koro left the woods and approached Mine. "Finally. Justice shall prevail!" Seyu pulls out her guns. "I finally get to kill a member of Night Raid! Rest in hell you scum!" Seryu said getting ready to execute Mine.

"Get away from her!"

Seryu heard a yell coming from behind, she slowly turned around to see Sheele, whom was ready to cut her down with her scissors. Seryu gasped as she realized that she was seconds away from being fatally injured. Before she knew it, before Sheele made impact, Seryu felt herself being grabbed and pushed out the way. Seryu thudded when she hit the ground. As she looked up, she gasped in shock, to see Flare's backside has taken the blow from Sheele. His mouth was open in shock, his face was covered with shadow and blood poured splatted from his back. His body had collapsed to the ground, face first. The boy was unconscious.

"Flare!" Seryu cried.

Sheele glared down at Seryu, whom was shocked about Flare's condition. She pointed the large scissor blade close to her face, prepared to end her life. But, Sheele had only made Seryu angrier by using Extase to only cut Seryu's right cheek, leaving it to bleed. All of a sudden, Koro charges at Sheele from behind, infuriated. Sheele stayed calm and changed her attention towards Koro and left Seryu petrified on the ground.

"Move." Sheele muttered as she slices Koro's legs, causing him to crash into the clock tower, body first. Seconds later, the impact that Berserker Koro made hitting the lower area clock tower caused it to collapse in about ten seconds.

Mine had begun to wake up after hearing the loud noise, but is still very weak. Her eyes fluttered open and the first person she saw was Sheele, whom was still okay. "Sheele?" Mine smiled as she saw her friend.

Sheele noticed that Mine was okay. She started to walk over towards her partner. "Mine, are you ok-" Sheele suddenly turned around and punched in the face by an angered Seryu Ubiquitous. Sheele's glasses fell off during the impact of that punch and the lenses cracked when it hit the ground. "How dare you... how dare you do this to my comrades!" Seryu then stood over and Sheele, kneeled down and punched Sheele in the face once again.

"Leave her alone!" Mine roared.

Seryu glared at Mine, whom was lying on the ground with contempt for a moment, clenched her fists and went back to punching Sheele in the face repeatedly. The image of seeing Seryu punching Sheele in the face with bloody knuckles had made Mine angry.

"Dammit, I said stop!" Mine screamed, but Seryu ignored her. In that moment, Mine used every last ounce of energy she had left in order to stand up on her feet. "You bitch," Mine cursed Seryu. "I thought I told you to-"

Mine stopped in her tracks when she saw Sheele looking right at her. Sheele's glasses were broken, her face was a little bloody and bruised from the punches. Despite all that, Sheele shook her head no towards Mine, telling her not to intervene. "Run... away..." Sheele whispered.

Mine couldn't hear what she said, but she could read Sheele's lips. Her eyes widened in shock, as Sheele suggested that she escape without her. "No way! I'm not leaving you!"

Sheele nodded her head. "You... have to..." she muttered before getting punched in the face again. Mine didn't want to leave her best friend, but at the same time, she was injured and reinforcements would be here at any moment. Her eyes watered as she knew Sheele accepted the fact that she would be captured or killed. Tears ran down Mine's face, she had finally agreed and took her Pumpkin and ran away.

_'Please, Sheele. Stay alive!' _Mine thought as she ran away.

Seryu caught a glimpse of Mine abandoning her comrade. "Coward." She finally stood up over and dragged Sheele's unconscious body, whom was knocked out due to the beating she had recieved from the Imperial Grunt and left her leaning on the rubble from the clock tower.

_'I'm nearly out of ammo doing our fight,' _Seryu looked at Koro whom was still recovering from the falling debris. _'Koro's still regenerating...' _As Seryu took a step forward, she didn't realize that she stepped on the ring handle of Extase. At that moment, Seryu knew that it would be a fitting death, having Sheele executed by the Imperial Arm she used to kill many people. She slowly picked up the pair of Extase and aimed it at Sheele's neck, planning on decapitating the Night Raid member. "Consider this karma, evil scum." Seryu muttered to the unconscious Sheele. "For my father… for Captain Ogre... for justice!" Seryu reminisced about the people who cared for her. "Your life ends, right here! right—" Before Seryu could strike down and decapitate Sheele, Seryu felt her ankle grabbed and she glanced to see it was grabbed by an injured Flare. "Flare! You're alive!" Seryu was surprised to see Flare crawling and bleeding.

"Seryu… don't do it…" Flare begged.

"But why?" Seryu asked in confusion.

"It's over, we've beaten her. She's not worth killing..."

"WHY?! Why should we let an enemy live? This is supposed to be in the name of Justice!" Seryu argued.

"Because… killing out of revenge doesn't make it right. It doesn't bring back your loved ones. It makes you as bad as them. Trust me." Flare said.

"But… they killed Captain Ogre… my father died in the line of duty." Seryu's eyes started to water.

"This won't bring them back. I know your father died... Your father wouldn't want you to become someone you're not, would he? Remember, you're a proud member of the Imperial Guard."

Seryu sniffed. "But I-"

"Please... instead of killing her, let her pay for her crimes. That way, she could know justice." Flare insisted.

This took Seryu a moment until she trusted his words. "Alright." Seryu said with tears in her eyes. Seryu had finally dropped Extase and chose to let Sheele get arrested.

"Thanks a lot, Seryu..." Flare smiled before passing out.

"Flare!" Seryu called in worrisome.

Within seconds after the battle, reinforcements had now just arrived. "Is that who I think it is?" solder #1 said.

"Of course, it's Sheele of Night Raid!" soldier #2 stated while looking at the poster.

One of the soldiers walked right up to Seryu. "What happened here, Seryu?" soldier #1 asked Seryu.

Seryu remained silent, ignoring the grunt. Koro has fully recovered and turned back to normal.

The soldiers began take away an unconscious Sheele. Another soldier checked to see if Flare is okay. "Seryu. Your partner is still breathing, he's just fatigued." soldier #3 stated and two other soldier carried his unconscious body.

'_That's good news,'_ Seryu smiled. It then started raining. _'__I wanted to kill her so bad. But then Flare stopped me. He helped me remember something my dad told me a long time ago.'_

Flashback

Seryu remembered herself as a little girl with her father. "Seryu. I want you to be the best you can be at whatever you set your mind too." Seryu's dad said to a young Seryu.

"I want to be just like you when you grow up daddy!" a young Seryu said.

"Seryu. I have to tell you something." Seryu's dad said while getting her attention. "I know I'm an Imperial Guard, but it's no easy task." Seryu said on one knee. "I am fighting everyday to provide for us."

"But, isn't fighting evil a good thing?" Seryu asked.

"Yes, it is. But there's something I want to tell you. If you plan to be an Imperial Guard, you must have a strong sense of justice. An Imperial Guard should never lose sight of what's right. Killing is not the only way to deal with criminals." Seryu's dad said.

"Okay daddy." Seryu said. Seryu hugs him before he leaves.

"I'll see you when I get home tonight" Seryu's dad said before leaving.

"OKay!" Seryu said with happy impression.

"_That was the last time I ever saw him alive. He never came back that night so I went looking for him. I ran until I saw a group of people staring at something, so I went where they were. When I got there in close up... I saw my dad. He was decapitated. He was murdered by evil!_" A young Seryu cried holding her father's head. "_Ever since that day, I swore to fight against evil at any cost. I wanted to take justice into my own hands. Then I met General Ogre, who was another father-figure to me. Then I lost him because of Night Raid, so they became the ones I decided to blame!_

_End Flashback_

'_I was so close to tasting vengeance. But deep __down, I felt like I lost sight of what's justice,' Seryu then looked at the raining sky. __'Thank you... Father.'_ Seryu thought before leaving with Koro and the other grunts.

* * *

Meanwhile, it was raining hard, the sky was dark and the rest of Night Raid had met Mine outside of their hideout to hear the bad news. Everyone is kind of shocked to hear about what happened, earlier.

"No way..." Bulat said.

"I can't believe it..." Lubbock said in disbelief.

"A person that can control fire at will..." Akame said.

Tatsumi was more shocked about Sheele being captured, rather than learning about Flare's existence. "Who did it? Which one of them took her?" A shocked Tatsumi asked a depressed Mine. "Mine. Mine! Answer me!" Tastumi shook Mine back in forth.

"Calm down, Tatsumi. Why do you want to know about it?" Najenda asked.

"Isn't already obvious? We have to rescue Sheele, before it's too late!" Tatsumi yelled.

"Not right now. Act too quickly and you'll only endanger more of your comrades. Remember. This is what they want us to do." Najenda said calmly.

"Sheele's our friend! How am I supposed to act, huh?" Tatsumi yelled. "I just can't sit here and—" Bulat walks up and knocks Tatsumi, sending him flying to a puddle. "Ugh!" Tatsumi groaned from Bulat's punch.

"Show some respect, Tatsumi! Now get it together! You knew that anyone could die at anytime! We're lucky that Sheele's even still breathing! We'll all get her back, now, chill out!" Bulat yelled.

'_Damnit.' _Tatsumi silently cursed himself and hid his face to hide the tears. Bulat balled his fist.

Najenda raised her prosthetic fist in the air and started a speech. "Bulat is right. We are very lucky to have Sheele alive. The Empire will understand that it takes an Imperial Arm to fight an Imperial Arm. And now they will bring more Imperial Arm wielders to fight for them. But, it also means for us is that we will collect more Imperial Arms."

"I'll be the one… to bring her back. I swear on my life." Mine thought with a determined face.

Tatsumi got up. "Mine you—" Tatsumi tried to put his hand on Mine's shoulder but quickly knocked it off.

"Yes. We'll all get Sheele back. But the Empire sees the kind of weapons we have." Najenda clenched her prosthetic fist. "They'll be attacking us with more and more Imperial Arms. That means we will have more allies, more Imperial Arms. Remember Tatsumi, we're in a war. Lots of battles are to the death." Najenda said to Tatsumi as he rubs his face.

* * *

A few days had passed since Sheele's capture. Kilometers away from the Empire, General Esdeath is sitting on a royal chair inside of the Northern Tribe's fortress. Esdeath has her army standing at attention and the Three Beasts kneeling before her while she just sits there in throne chair bored and nothing to do. Esdeath has now completed her goal of eliminating the Northern Tribesmen. All she could really do is return to the capital and receive her reward.

Esdeath had got out of her chair. "I'm bored. It's time to return to the capital." she said.

"Yes ma'am!" Her army replied.

"General Esdeath! General Esdeath! I have urgent news from the capital! You might want to listen." An Imperial messenger brought himself and kneel before her.

"How rude... General Esdeath did not recall summoning a messenger." Liver lashed at the messenger.

"Calm down, Liver." she turned to the messenger. "You have my permission to speak, messenger." Esdeath demanded.

"A few days ago, our Imperial Soldiers had encountered two members of Night Raid and won."

"That's a first. Night Raid is a group of Assassins. And you are sure it was Night Raid?" Esdeath asked.

"Of course, my lady. One of the members were captured while the other is on the lamb."

"Was it our high ranking officers whom had defeated them?"

"No, my lady. It was our low level grunts. Two of our lower level grunts in fact. One of them had an Organic-Type Imperial Arm while the other one..." the messenger paused.

"Go on."

"We discovered that one of our own grunts had an Imperial Arm that allows them to control fire. Just as yours can control ice." Some of the soldiers had gasped and started talking among others. Esdeath's eyes had widened in shock after hearing the news from the messenger. For a moment, she stayed in silent and her face was covered with shadow.

_'What? There's a person whom can control fire? Just as Lady Esdeath can control ice?' _all Three Beasts thought.

Everyone stood as Esdeath raised a hand in the air. "Everyone. Pack up and gather your belongings. We're heading back to the capital, now." she ordered.

"Yes ma'am!"

_'If what this messenger says is true, then I have to meet this person whom controls fire. No, I must.' _Esdeath placed a hand on her chest and grinned sadistically. _'I will train this person and make him mine!' _Esdeath smirked.


	4. Talk of the Day

A week has passed since Sheele has been captured. It was a normal sunny day in the capital. The high council have been talking about two things in the palace. One was the capture of Sheele, and two was Flare who could control fire. News had spread throughout the capital like a wildfire, especially about Flare. There were those in the capital whom were excited that one of Night Raid has been defeated. There were those in the capital whom had acknowledged Flare, and there were those who started to fear Flare for his power. In the Imperial Palace, the councilmen were discussing the situation about Night Raid.

"Did you hear what happened? Two of the lower-level grunts have captured a Night Raid member!" Councilor number One asked.

"When did you start believing everything you here?" Councilor number Four asked.

"Which ones?" Councilor number Two asked.

"You know the one with the Imperial dog?" Councilor number One asked.

"Oh, her. What was her name again?" Councilor number Two asked.

"I think it was Serru… Siri.. Serio…" Councilor number One said, trying to get Seryu's name right.

"Seryu Ubiquitous. That's her name" Councilor number Six replied.

"Oh. So, who was with her then?" Councilor number Five asked.

"Another grunt named… Flare." Councilor number Four said, who was trying to pronounce his name.

"Didn't he just become a grunt not too long ago?" Councilor number Two asked.

"Well, yes. And here's the thing." Said Councilor number Four.

"What could it be?" Councilor number Five asked.

"It appeared that this Flare kid possess an Imperial Arms as well." Councilor number Four said.

"A young boy possessing Imperial Arms?" Councilor number Two asked.

"What kind of weapon Imperial Arms?" Councilor number Three asked.

"You see, it's not like Weapon, Armor, or Organic-Type Imperial Arms-"

Councilor number Four gets cut off by Councilor number Six. "Just tell us! What is it?" Councilor number Six started to feel a little impatient.

"An Elemental-Type Imperial Arms. One where the user can manipulate fire at will." Councilor number Three.

Everyone in the room gasped. "What?! An Imperial Arms that can manipulate fire?!" Councilor number Two asked.

"If that the case… then kid is just like General Esdeath!" Councilor number Three assumed. The Councilmen continue to talk among one another.

"With permission to ask, Emperor. What do you think of this Imperial Arm user?" Councilor number One asked.

"Hmmm…" Emperor Makoto placed a finger on his chin, thinking. "I never heard of an Imperial Arm that controls fire before…"

Emperor Makoto is a naive kid who has green long hair, and green eyes. He wears a blue mantle and a big headdress. He also has a golden scepter with a blue orb.

"What do you think of this person, Minister?" Emperor Makoto smiled and looked to Honest.

"Well, to be honest with you, I never heard of one where can manipulate fire before. The only one I know who can manipulate a single element is General Esdeath." Honest answered. Inside his mind, he had grunted and gotten irritated. "_Damn this Flare! Whoever this snot nosed brat is, he beat me to the Imperial Arm! I've been searching for that Imperial Arm for years and was never able to find it!' _Honest thought to while angrily ripping off meat.

Prime Minister Honest is a fat man with white hair, and dark yellow eyes. He also has a long beard. He constantly manipulates the Emperor.

"So this Flare, where is he right now?" Emperor Makoto asked.

"I believe he has recovered from that battle. He survived a severe blow against Night Raid." Councilor number Three said.

"He's lucky to even make it out the battle alive." Councilor number Six shook his head.

"Yes. Not a lot of people would've survived. Hell, most of us wouldn't even survive that kind of fight." Councelor number Two said.

"Well, as soon as he is done recuperating, we shall summon him, right Prime Minister?" Emperor Makoto asked.

"Maybe we should just let the boy rest for now." Honest said.

"Maybe you're right," Emperor Makoto. "Oh, and what about that Night Raid member they captured?"

"She is currently in a prison cell for now, and the Imperial Arm Extase is currently in our custody, unless we can find a user of our own." Councilor number Five said.

Emperor Makoto stood up. "Good. We will set up a prime example to those who stands against the Empire, and those who want to betray us. So the people won't fear Night Raid. Right Prime Minister?"

"You are a hundred percent right." Honest said.

***Night Raid P.O.V.***

The weeks after Sheele had been captured by the capital, everyone in Night Raid was busy doing chores before their next mission. Everyone is determined to rescue Sheele, especially Mine and Tatsumi. Mine is recuperating her arm, as it is in a cast. Lubbock is practicing with his Cross Tail to catch Flare for harming Sheele. Akame is cooking food, Najenda is smoking while reading a book, Tatsumi is working on dishes, and Leone is sleeping on the couch, and Bulat is working outside. No one has said anything for over an hour.

Tatsumi looks at Akame while she's cooking. '_Akame. She's still so calm, even after Sheele being captured.'' _Tatsumi thought to himself. '_But still, I can't believe that girl I ran into attacked her. I should've known, with her dog Imperial Arm." _Tatsumi reminiscing about Seryu. '_And this guy called Flare…' _Tatsumi thought with his head down._ 'After hearing it from Mine, he sounds really dangerous. Hard to believe that someone could ever control fire. It sounds cool, but... at the same time, it sounds scary.' _Tatsumi gripped his hands._ 'Right now, I'm useless against him. Especially without an Imperial Arm." _Tatsumi thought with doubt. _'What am I gonna do-'_

"Tatsumi!" Akame yelled, which caused Tatsumi to snap back in reality. "The sink is overflowing with water." Akame said as she pointing at the sink.

"Oh right, sorry!" Tatsumi said embarrassed while finishing up the dishes.

'_Tatsumi really misses Sheele._ _I know what you're going through, Tatsumi. If Sheele had died, I don't know how I'd taken it.' _Akame thought with a worried face.

Leone walked in the room. "What's up you guys?" Leone yelled with a happy expression.

Tatsumi flinched. "You scared me, Leone."

"Aw, I just wanted to check on two my bestest friends in the world!" Leone said cheerfully. "Hey, Akame. What are we having for lunch today?" Leone asked while she sat down at the table.

"Pork Stew." Akame said bluntly.

"Don't you mean Beef Stew, Akame?" Tatsumi asked.

"No. Pork Stew. I decided". Akame replied.

"Oh. Okay."

"I'm feeling pumped up today, I think I might want to take on that fiery guy." Leone said holding her arm showing her bicep.

"I think so, too. But look at me, what chance do I have against him now?" Tatsumi told them.

"How's everything going!" Bulat yelled while heavily patted Tatsumi on the back.

"B-Bro!" Tatsumi said surprised trying to straighten up after that smack.

"What you guys talking about?" Bulat asked.

"We were just talking about how strong this fiery guy must be." Leone said.

"Really... I've been wanting to know more about him myself. Yes, this is the perfect opportunity!" Bulat said to himself.

"What's the perfect opportunity, bro?" Tatsumi asked.

"An opportunity to fight him! His Imperial Arm against mine! This should be a battle to remember through the ages!" Bulat yelled all excited.

"What makes you say that?" Tatsumi asked.

"Flare's Imperial Arms is can generate fire, and the Fire within my soul!" Bulat said excitedly.

"Wow, you must be really excited, Bulat." Leone said.

"Everyone. Boss' called for a meeting." Mine said. Tatsumi noticed that Mine didn't look at him.

'_Mine would usually make fun of me when she sees me. But, she didn't even look at my direction. Now that's Sheele's not here, it's like she's… different. Is she really more determined to save Sheele than me?' _Tatsumi thought to himself.

Everyone moves to the hall a few minutes later. "Alright, our scouts have informed me of two things. One, Esdeath has taken the Northern Tribe is returning to the Imperial Capital." Njenda said.

Everyone in the room has a serious look on her faces.

"There's no way… it's to soon!" Tatsumi said.

"Yes, Esdeath has broken our expectations, now she's coming here to try to get rid of us." Najenda said while pulling out a cigarette. "And another thing. As what you all most likely heard, there is another Elemental-Type Imperial Arm user out there. He goes by the name of Flare."

Mine gritted her teeth after hearing his name, but had no knowledge that Tatsumi was watching her.

"As you can see, everyone is now talking about this person, Flare. He has the power to generate fire. Right now, he's laying low for now. And Esdeath is heading to the capital to pay Flare a visit." Najenda informed the group.

"So, you want us to take him out before Esdeath gets the chance to meet him?" Lubbock asked.

"If so, then yes." Najenda answered.

"I don't get it. What did this guy do?" Tatsumi asked.

"Tatsumi, it's not what he did, it's what he could do. We don't know anything about this kid, and if Esdeath were to meet and convince this Flare kid to join her side, they could even pose a great threat not only to Night Raid, but to the Revolutionary Army." Bulat told Tatsumi.

"Exactly. Bulat has a point." Najenda then passed a poster of Flare to the group. "This is what the kid looks like."

"Also, this guy attacked me and Sheele, while we were returning from a mission. He has to die." Mine said.

"Now about Sheele, she's currently imprisoned. We don't know what they're going to do to her. Leone. I want you to go to the capital, and gain Intel about Sheele and Esdeath." Najenda ordered.

"You got it boss-" Leone was cut off by Mine.

"Wait." Everyone looks at Mine. "Let me go instead, boss. I need to do this." Mine requested.

Najenda sighed and closed her eyes. "No."

"But why not?" Mine asked.

"You're still injured, you haven't completely healed yet. We can't have you sacrifice anymore limbs, or your life. And the Empire now knows who you are now, a member of Night Raid, which means you can't just go into the Capital so easily. I know how you feel. No one wants to bring Sheele back more than you. If you play this wrong, you'll be captured or killed. That's why I'm giving Leone the task, because she's never been caught." Najenda said.

"But—" Tatsumi puts a hand on Mine's shoulder.

"It's alright Mine, just listen to the boss, she knows what she's doing." Tatsumi said smiling.

"Fine." Mine said giving in.

Najenda turned to Leone. "Now, Leone. Are you up to the task?"

"You got it, boss." Leone said cheerfully.

"Don't get careless." Najenda said.

"Trust me boss, I won't." Leone said care free, then looks to Mine. "Don't worry Mine, I'll find Sheele and bring her back when I get the chance." Leone grinned, patting Mine's head.

"Boss. What do we do about Esdeath?" Akame asked.

"That's you yet to be seen." Najenda lighted her cigarette. "But if you do encounter her, do not take her on alone. That goes for the rest of you." Najenda said to everyone.

"And what about this Flare guy?" asked Leone.

"Now it's about time I get my hands on that fiery bastard." Lubbock said holding his fist out.

"Wait Lubb, what did he do to you?" Tatsumi asked.

"He hurt Sheele, that's more than enough to grind my gears, come on!" Lubbock said twitching.

"That's Lubbock for you, he's a Pervert." Leone said.

"What does that have to do with anything?!" Lubbock said nervously.

"Didn't I catch you reading magazines of-" Tatsumi got cut off.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up!" an embarrassed Lubbock yelled at Tatsumi.

"That explains why he like the bo-" Akame got cut off.

"Zip it, zip it, zip it!" Lubbock blurred out knowing what Akame was about to say.

"Now back to what we were discussing, I have another matter to discuss." Najenda said catching everyone's attention.

***Empire P.O.V.***

Meanwhile in the Empire, Esdeath and the Three Beasts are kneeling before Emperor Makoto. "Congratulations, General Esdeath. For conquering the Northern Tribe, we establish you ten thousand gold coins!" Emperor Makoto said.

"Thank you, your highness. I will give it to the soldiers who are fighting. They will be pleased." Esdeath replied.

"_Esdeath doesn't care for money or power. War is the only thing is she is interested. As long as I'm here, she can destroy whatever she wants. To me, she's really just another puppet."_ Honest thought to himself while stuffing his face in.

"Now that I'm here in the capital, I shall be terminating Night Raid." Esdeath insisted.

"Yes, we would like to compensate you for your ambitious achievements with more than just money," Makoto begun to wonder. "Is there something else you prefer?"

"Why yes, there is." Esdeath.

"And what would that be?" Emperor asked curiously.

"I only have two request…" Esdeath begun to say.

"Go on..."

"The first is… I want to fall in love." Esdeath said with a smile.

The Emperor and the Prime Minister were left speechless all of a sudden. "Ah, yes that sounds perfect. You are a single woman at a marriageable age, we have plenty of men in the capital, so I will find you a match maker." Emperor Makoto insisted.

"No thank you." Esdeath declined.

"What's the matter?"

"I appreciate your offer of trying to find me a man, your highness, but there's someone who has already caught my eye," Esdeath referred to a certain someone.

"_Oh_?" Emperor Makoto thought. "

You see, that's one of the reasons I came here today, now my second request."

"And what's that?"

"My second request is… Shortly after I have the Northern Tribe, I heard there is a man in the capital with who possesses an Elemental-Type Imperial Arm like mine. I heard... that this man can create fire. Is it true?" Esdeath asked.

"Oh, you must mean Flare." The Emperor remembered hearing about Flare earlier.

"So, his name is Flare, huh? What a suiting name. So, the rumors are true." Esdeath smiled after hearing his name.

"Yes. He's right now a cadet who just joined our ranks not too long ago. All of a sudden, he's gotten quite popular in the Capital recently. He and another Imperial Guard were able to capture a member of Night Raid." Emperor Makoto explained.

"Oh really?" Esdeath smirked. _'This Flare fellow was able to capture one of Night Raid as well. I haven't even met him, and he's starting to sound interesting. All is left but to meet him.' _Esdeath looked up at Emperor Makoto. "Where can I find him?"

"To be honest, I have no idea where he could be." Emperor Makoto said honestly.

"Then I shall go and see him for myself," Esdeath stood up. "Thank you for your time." Esdeath said before leaving the throne room, along the Three Beasts follow her.

***Seryu's P.O.V.***

Meanwhile at a hospital, a certain someone went to the front desk "Excuse me. I'm here to visit Flare." Seryu said, who is dressed completely different. Seryu had on a green short-dressed jacket,a white skirt under, a long dark green scarf, white stockings and Green Boots. Seryu's red hair was cut shorter to make her new look cuter, and had a white bandage on her right cheek, due to Sheele grazing her face in the battle. Seryu carried Koro in her arms.

"We've been expecting you," The nurse smiled at Seryu. "Third door on the left from down the hall." The nurse showed Seryu and Koro where to go and went back to her post.

"Thank you." Seryu thanked the nurse before entering the room. She gripped the doorknob and slowly opened the door. She walked in and saw Flare in a hospital bed.

"Hey." Flare said.

"How do you feel?" Seryu asked.

"Bark." Koro barks then licks Flare on the side of his face.

"That tickles..." Flare laughs as he's being tickled.

"Koro." Seryu called, and Koro walked back to Seryu's side. "Sorry about that, Flare. Now tell me, how do you feel?"

"I feel a lot better now." he answered.

"I'm glad to hear you say that," Seryu's smile was slowly turning into a frown. "I had a doctor I know treated you."

"Oh. Then I guess the doctor really did an amazing job." Flare chuckled.

"Flare." Seryu muttered.

"Eh?" Flare looked over and saw Seryu with a sad expression with her face. "Are you okay?" Flare asked, then he noticed that Seryu has a cut on her face. "Your face. I'm so sorry. If… there's anything I can do—" Seryu quickly buried her head in his chest crying. "What's the matter?"

"You almost died because of me...!" Seryu cried.

"Hey, I'm still here..." Flare said.

"I know, but I wasn't thinking. You shielded me with your body against that Night Raid filth! You nearly died trying to help me eliminate evil! That's something I could never repay you! I wasn't thinking about your wellbeing," Seryu lifted her head from his chest. "Next time, I'll be more careful! I promise!"

"It was only one situation. You don't have to change anything." Flare said.

"And there's another thing I want to say. Thank you… for saving me... from myself! And thank you... for staying with me..." Seryu wiped her tears, leaving a peach fuzz on her face.

"Come on, don't be like that."

"I'm sorry. It's just at times, I get very emotional." Seryu started cheering up. "I joined the Imperial Army to purge evil. My other comrades thought I was crazy, because of my strong sense of justice. I just wanted to make this land a better place. They didn't want to be near me. I knew there were people jealous of me having an Imperial Arm, after my father died, the only companions I had were Captain Ogre, Dr. Stylish and Koro, now you… you're the only partner who never deserted me. You looked out for me."

"That's what friends for." Flare said smiling. Seryu starts heavily blushing.

"Friends?" Seryu stuttered.

"Of course. We're partners." Flare smiled.

"Um… Flare?" Seryu start to blush. Flare noticed the little red. "After you leave this hospital, do you think we can spend time together? And I'm not talking about working," Seryu asked looking down, and holding on to her arms, and Flare started blushing. "Since we're friends, I want to get to know you a lot better." Seryu said looking up. "Wattya say?"

Flare thought about it for a few seconds. "Sure. We can hang out."

Seryu gasped in happiness, then went on to hug Flare. "Thank you, thank you!" she yells in excitement. '_Flare. When the time comes, I'll tell you how I feel.' _Seryu let a tear fall down her eye.


	5. Entering Chinatown

A few days had passed since Flare had been discharged from the hospital.

He had on new clothes he had bought from the shop. Flare had worn new black cargo pants with each pocket on the side, a white shirt with black outlines, over it was a sleeveless jacket with a hoodie, and brown vintage boots. He also had a silver cross chain as an accessory.

"Well, now that I'm out of the hospital, I may as well go back on patrol." Flare started walking throughout the lower levels of the capital.

He tried looking for other Imperial Guards, if they could tell him about Seryu. _'I think some of these guards will tell me about Seryu. No- she told me she couldn't go back. She was forced to go on vacation and recovery.' _He walked inside of a crowd of people in the streets. It didn't take long for people to start noticing him. Not long, people started talking about him.

"Hey, is that who I think that is?"

"Who?"

"That guy right there."

"You mean THAT guy?"

"Yes."

"Oh, I see him now." That guy looks oddly familiar."

"Wait, I've seen him before. He was with that other grunt, Seryu Ubquitous."

"Him?"

"What is it that people are calling him again?"

"Flare?"

"Yeah. That's it. Flare."

"I heard he and that dumb energetic girl defeated a Night Raid."

"That's not all, I heard the other day, he used fire!"

"Wait, fire? Like actual fire?"

"Come on. The only person to ever use elements in the capital is General Esdeath."

"If that's true, then there's a chance he could be as dangerous as her."

"I hope he doesn't attack us."

"Yeah, we don't need his kind around here."

As Flare kept walking, he could easily hear everything they say. Whether they were talking good or bad, he kept walking. He chose to ignore them like nothing happened. What he did not know was that he was secretly being followed by a woman.

_'That must be him. He's... Flare.' _the mysterious woman said, sitting at a table, watching him. _'He captured Sheele.' _the woman got up from the table and continued to follow him.

After a couple of hours of walking, Flare was now in the Chinatown District which the east of the capital. "Wow, I've been walking around for hours, I don't even know where I am." he said as he looked at the Asian buildings. Flare continued to walk until he hit the black market shop. He saw plenty of people talking, eating, buying things and enjoying themselves. Flare decided to look around to enjoy himself for a while. As he was walking by through a couple of black market shops, he suddenly sensed something very strong.

"Ah?" Flare's eyes had widened a little. _'What is that I'm sensing right now?' _Flare looked around the area to find this sensational feeling until he found and walked to small stand which was selling Asian cultural charms. _'I can sense it from here!' _He saw a bunch of charms until he spotted one charm he could easily sense. "There it is. But, what is that?"

**The Sacred Treasure of Buddha : Jade. **It is a Support-Type Imperial Arms, a thin green pendant necklace of Buddha. Jade empowers purity, gentleness, and love. It is considered a good luck charm and selling it is worth two fortunes. It is said that Jade brings harmony, balance, protection and good luck to those who wear it. Jade is powerful enough to draw those who are pure of heart. Jade is famous for escaping worst situations like battlefields, assassinations or execution. The Imperial Arm can also read people's fortunes.

Minutes later, Flare ended up buying Teigu and walking along until he reached an alleyway. "Maybe Seryu would like this." He said as he walked.

"Hey you!" a guy had called Flare's attention.

"Hm?" Flare turned to see a group street thugs in black suits and sunglasses who were behind him And there was one in a white suit, black shirt and red tie. "Can I help you guys?"

"What do you think you're doing in our town?"

"Town?" Flare asked.

"Yeah. OUR town. You think someone like you could just-" he stopped. "Huh?" The boss took a closer look at Flare and noticed under all of those fancy clothes, he's a commoner. "Wait, are you a commoner?" he asked.

"Yes I am." Flare nodded.

"Oh good, we have a commoner on our hands, boys." the Gang Leader said and the thugs behind him laughed.

"So, is there anything I can help you with?"

"Yes you can. You can start buy giving us fancy clothes and jewelry." a thug demanded.

"Why?" Flare asked.

"Because we said so. You're a commoner, so you don't know. We all gotta pay taxes, and this part of town may look pretty, but the economy is shitty. So we have our own way of paying taxes." the Gang Leader said.

"Is it some kind of tradition to rob people?" Flare asked.

"Ye- I mean, no. It's called paying taxes."

"Sorry, but I don't feel like paying your so called, Taxes right now." Flare said.

"So what, you think just because you defeated a Night Raid, you're better than us?" the Gang Leader asked. "That's right. I know who you are."

"As a matter of fact, it doesn't. Because I don't want to be paired with pieces of shits like you guys." Flare said.

"Shut up!" The Gang Leader pulled out his gun and pointed it at Flare. "Give us your god damn money or you're gonna end up like the last five Imperial Guards we killed!"

"I see. So you're in the mafia. I have no problem taking you guys down." Flare cracked had knuckles.

"Is that so?" the Gang Leader snapped his fingers and the thugs then surrounded Flare in circle formation. "I've decided I'm going to kill you anyway. I'll see you in hel-" Without a second thought, Flare quickly punched the thug in the face sending him flying towards the pile of trash. "Kurgk!" the Gang leader groaned on impact landing on the pile of trash.

"Boss!" one of the thugs yelled.

"Who's next? This is your one and only chance to walk away." Flare asked the thugs whom were now intimidated.

"Bastard! Kill him!" the group of thugs then charges at him.

Flare took a moment and thought back when he hunted boars in the woods before leaving on his journey. _'They're just like the boars in the woods.' _Flare wasted no time taking each and every thug out with little effort with each blow. Each of the thug collapsed after dealing one rough blow. "This is such a pain.

The Gang Leader got up from the trash with a broken nose and grabbed his gun. _'Look what you did to my men! At least I can still take this guy out with a bang.' _

Flare sensed the Gang Leader was up to no good and turned around to see him pointing a gun at him.

"I'll see you in hell!" the Gang leader yelled as he started firing at him. Flare was able to dodge the bullets entirely due to his flame intangibility. "What the?" he kept firing until he ran out of bullets. He then threw the gun away and tried to pull another gun out of his vest, but Flare was to quick and kicked the Gang Leader in the gut, causing him to spit out some blood.

"You just won't stop. Won't you?" Flare glared at him.

"How the hell could I miss?" he asked in shock.

"That is something I will never tell to the likes of you." Flare said while walking to him.

The Gang Leader started to scoot backwards from Flare. "No! Don't kill me!" the Gang Leader pleaded.

"Kill? Why should I not kill you? You have no problem killing other people. So why is it different now?"

"Look, I know that I'm in the wrong, but can you blame me? I'm not perfect!" the Gang Leader yelled.

"No one is perfect." Flare grabbed him by his black shirt.

"Please! Spare me! I want to live!" the Gang Leader's eyes started watering and snot started running down his nose. At that moment, the Gang Leader was faking it. _'Heh heh. As soon as he takes the bait, I'll just kill him here and now. This isn't the first time I was placed in this position by an Imperial Guard. As soon as he leave an opening, I'll make my move! Genius!' _He thought to himself.

"Thanks for the clue!" Flare through the Gang Leader through a wall causing him to be knocked out unconscious. Flare looked at the unconscious thugs then the Gang Leader. "Well that takes care of that. I need to get out of here." Flare left the scene and twenty minutes later, Imperial Guards arrived and found street thugs unconscious.

Flare continued to walk down the Chinatown road a little longer. _'I'm bored. It's getting a little late around these parts. Looks like I have to find a hotel for the night.' _All of a sudden, Flare got tapped on the left shoulder out of nowhere. _'Huh? I should've sensed someone coming a mile away,'_ Flare turned around to see a woman approach him. The woman had a sleeveless red Cheongasm with a diamond shaped whole in the middle revealing her cleavage, black heels. Almost exactly like Sheele's attire. Her skin was a little tanner than his. She also has auburn eyes, her light brown hair was in an Asian double bun style with two bangs hang from each side of her face.

"Hi!" said the unknown woman.

"Oh, Hello?" Flare responded.

"You must be the guy called Flare, right? Nice to meet you!" she smiled.

"Um, sorry to be rude... who are you?" he asked.

"Oh! Excuse me for not introducing myself. I'm Mei Ling. My friends call me Mei. You could call me Mai, if you like." she offered a hand.

"Right." Flare shook her hand. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Well, is it okay if I can talk to you in private?" Mei asked for privacy.

"I don't have anything else to do today. So, sure." Flare nodded.

"Thank you." Meiling then grabbed his hand.

_'Not again,' _Flare blushed as the pretty woman grabbed his hand and started leading him to her house. The two had walked a few blocks down the road and made it to her house. Mei Ling lives in a one storied traditional Asian house. Mei Ling opened the door, Flare took off his shoes and examined the place. "Nice place you have." Flare complimented her house.

"Thank you." Mei offered Flare a chair to sit in. "Sit."

"Okay." Flare sat down.

"Do you want some tea?" she asked.

"Tea?"

"I can take some." Mei took the brown teapot and poured the tea into Flare's teacup. Flare looked in the cup and see this is green tea. "The tea is green for some reason."

"That's green tea." Mei answered. "Do you not like green tea?" she asked.

"It's okay. I never seen green tea before. I lived in a village far away that only serves regular tea." Flare drunk the green tea from the up. Suddenly after drinking it all, Flare had froze.

Mei seemed a little worried. "Do you like it?" Flare slammed the cup on the table. Mei gasped.

"This is the best tea I ever had! How did you even make tea like this? I wanna know!" Flare was overjoyed.

"I'm glad you like it." Mei blushed as Flare praised her tea. "I always wanted to open a tea shop, though..."

"You should go ahead and do it. Open a shop and sell tea." Flare suggested.

"I would rather want to... but now days I'm kind of private about my life." she said looking down.

"Why is that?" Flare noticed Mei's smile had changed.

"Listen, Flare. I didn't invite you here just to talk about tea."

"What's the matter? Your smile is gone." Flare noticed.

"I invited you here... because I wanted to talk about the woman in purple that you and the other girl captured not a week ago..."

Flare thought back until his fight in the park. "You mean that woman, Sheele?"

"Yes. That's her." Mei nodded.

"What about her?"

"You see... do you mind if I tell you a story?" Mei asked.

"No. You can tell me anything."

"Thank you." Mei started reminiscing. "About four years ago, Sheele used to be my best friend. I met her when she was alone. People would always talk about her for all the mess-ups she caused, but I was the only one who befriended her. We spent a lot of time talking about girl stuff." Mei then recalled her ex-boyfriend came. "One day, my ex-boyfriend came..." Mei paused briefly as she remembered him. "He was very angry. He was yelling at me, breaking my things. The next thing I knew was I was being strangled. I don't know why... but he tried to kill me." Flare could hear the sadness in her voice. "I thought to myself. Was he on drugs? Was he drinking? Was it because I dumped him? The reason I broke up with him was because he was physically abusive." Mei remembered being smacked around and landed in a hospital bed. "I landed in the hospital twice because of his reckless actions. He would always send me flowers and an apology note. I never gave it to him, by the way. I was afraid that he was going to kill me, if I stayed with him. So I snapped and dumped him. After he died, I never realized how happy I was when he died. But then, I thought I could get him out of my mind, but I just can't... because of this. Mei then let down her neck sleeve a little to reveal the dark bruise on her lower neck.

Flare silently gasped. "Is that..."

"Yes." Mei nodded. "This is a reminder. He still haunts me to this day... because of this. When he was strangling me, I felt like I was about to die, then Sheele saved me." Mei remembered Sheele sticking a kitchen knife in her friend's ex-boyfriend neck. Watching him bleed out on the floor. "She cut his throat, killing him. When I realize what happened, I panicked. I thought of nothing else but... Sheele killed him! Sheele killed him, without a second thought." she panted a bit. "So, I cut ties with her and that I wanted nothing to do with her again, despite her saving my life!" Mei's eyes watered. "I never got to thank her. I should have thanked her! When I heard that Sheele was part of the Revolutionary Army, I was heartbroken. Because I felt like it was my fault." Tears had streamed down her cheeks. "I'm sorry you have to see me... see me like this...!" She started crying in front of him with a hand over her mouth, trying to keep control.

Flare's face shadowed as he continued to listen to her story. Flare then got up from the table and walked over to Mei Ling and hugged her. "There's no need to keep beating yourself up over it. Sheele did what she did to save your life, back then. If it weren't for her, you wouldn't be here." Flare attempted to encourage her.

"Flare..." Mei Ling sniffled.

Flare blinked, then thought of an idea. "Stay still. I know it sounds weird, but I'm going to heal your neck, now." Flare told her.

"But... How?"

"I know it sounds crazy, but I can heal people. I've done it before in my village. Trust me." Mei once again let down her neck sleeve and revealed the bruise. Flare coated his hands with light flames and carefully placed his hands on the bruise on her lower neck. "Are you ready?" He asked Mei before he started the healing process, which she nodded yes. "Flame Recovery." The light flames began to glow and surround her neck and started healing the bruise.

Mei gasped. _'What is this? This feeling... I feel so warm.' _Mei thought. The bruise began to fade until it completely disappeared. She lightly touched her neck to see if it worked. "I feel much better..." Mei then grabbed a hand mirror to see if the bruise had disappeared. "Ah!" Mei gasped as she discovered the bruise was gone. "Oh my god..." she muttered as a tear fell from her eye, then she dropped the mirror.

"Do you think it worked?" Flare asked.

Mei quickly dashed up from the table and hugged her with tears of joy in her eyes. "Thank you! Thank you!" Flare responded by hugging her back. "You're the second person to ever go this far for me!"

"The second? Oh, you mean Sheele?" Flare remembered.

At that moment, the happy expression she just had went to be a little sad. She then looked away. "Yes. After what happened, how can I face her?" Mei asked with a little depression.

"Come on, don't be like that."

"Flare?"

"It's like I said a couple of minutes ago. If Sheele didn't do what she did, you would've been dead. She saved you. Everything happens for a reason." Flare smiled at her.

Mei blushed once again as she saw his smile. "Sorry." she grabbed a napkin and wiped her eyes. "I have to be honest with you. When I saw you today, you kind of reminded me of her."

"How?"

"You were alone. People talked behind your back. That's why I followed you through town. Also, I know you took out those thugs."

"Is there some kind of problem?" Flare asked.

"No, no. I wanted to see if it was true." Mei shook her head no and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Tell me. When you fought, what did you think of her?" she asked.

"Well... when I first saw her poster, I didn't hate her or wanted her dead. I just knew that she needed to be stopped." Flare then recalled the time he fought Sheele in the park. "A week ago, I didn't fight Sheele with contempt. I nearly died by her hands. She's quite skilled with a giant pair of scissors. And she knows how to keep calm."

"Is that the case?"

"Yes. If I didn't possess an Imperial Arms, I would've been dead on the spot." he stated. "Oh yeah, I also slipped on wet grass and punched her in the boob." he almost forgot to mention.

Mei then giggled after hearing that last part. "I'm happy you're okay."

"Yep." Flare smiled once again.

Mei blushed once again. Her heart started beating faster and faster. _'What's going on? My heart is beating faster and faster... Could this be really happening? Am I falling in love with Flare?' _She placed a hand on her chest.

Flare looked through the window and notices it's almost night time. "Well, it's getting late. I have to get going and find a hotel."

"What?"

"Oh, there's one more thing." Flare reached inside his vest pocket and pulled out the Imperial Arm, Jade.

Mei quickly recognized the charm. "Flare. Is that what I think it is?"

"This? Not really." Flare looked at the Imperial Arm.

"I think it's supposed to be some kind of lucky charm. Legends say that it supposed to bring the wielder good luck." Mei stated.

"Is that what this really is? Well, then. I want you to have it. For good luck." Flare offered the Imperial Arms to her. "Can I, uh..."

"Sure." Hana turned around so Flare could place the pendant necklace Imperial Arm around her neck and Flare proceeded to put it on her.

"So, what do you think?" Flare asked.

Mei looked at the necklace. "It looks nice, but I don't think I would really need-" All of a sudden, Mei felt power surging throughout her body and she was surrounded by a thin layer of green aura. _'I feel really calm and... warm.'_

"How is it?"

"This feels really great!" Mei said with joy. "Thank you so much." she said while hugging him.

"I'm happy you like it. Now I have to get going." Flare grabbed his shoes and walked to the door.

Mei reached for him, but gasped silently gasped as her body suddenly felt something else. _'What am I feeling right now?' _Mei's body suddenly felt horny. _'Why do I feel so... horny?' _

Flare turned his head towards her. "Take care. Also, thanks for the tea..." As Flare was going to reach the door knob.

"Wait." Mei grabbed Flare's hand before he tried to leave. "Flare? Would you mind... staying the night with me?" she asked while trying to hide her horniness.

"What for?" he asked.

"You see... I just want to get to know you... a little better." Mei said honestly.

Flare saw the blush on her face and agreed." Okay. I'll stay."

"Thank you."

* * *

Later on that night, the full moon was out and Flare was sleeping in the guest room on the bed. Mei was in the bathroom looking in the mirror. She had on her red Chinese robe with a black sash and the Imperial Arm, Jade around her neck. She removed her hair buns, letting her back-length hair fall. She checked how pretty it was and felt a surge pass through her body once again and her eyes are now filled with love. This is one of the properties of possessing Jade. It fills the user with love, gentleness and purity. "Ah," Mei moaned as she could feel the love flowing through her body.

Minutes later, Mei walked into the guest room where Flare was sleeping. She crawled on the bed and over Flare's sleeping body. He was in nothing but a pair of boxers. She looked at Flare's physique and blushed at the sight of his abs. She gulped. "Flare." Mei placed a hand on his right cheek.

Flare opened his eyes and found Mei crawling over his body. "M-Mei?"

"Are you having a bad dream?" she asked, lustfully.

"No, I'm fine. Are you feeling... okay?" He asked.

"Mm-hmm." Mei replied.

"I see you're wearing your charm." Flare noticed the Imperial Arm, Jade around her neck.

Mei glanced at the Imperial Arm for a second. "If I'm being honest, I'm starting to like the charm a whole lot more. But not more than you, sweetie." Mei then took Flare's hands and placed them onto her chest. Flare hesitated to move them, because he felt like he would do anything he would regret. "Come on... I won't bite." Mei smiled with lust in her voice.

Flare silently sighed and softly squeezed them earning a moan from her. _'Is she really okay?' _Flare thought to himself before Mei leaned down onto his chest giving him a kiss on his lips.

"Mmm." She moaned as their lips was connected. Mei leaned her back upwards. "Was that your first kiss?" she asked. Flare nodded without saying a word. "Good boy," She teased, lovingly as she begun to move her hips in rhythm.

_'Whoa. This feeling in my sides.' _Flare thought to himself as he felt how his member started to feel hard.

Mei started to move a little faster. She grabbed Flare's left hand which was on her right breast and tried to make him squeeze it. As the rhythm slowed down, Flare took his hand off giving Mei time to open her robe a little. Mei removed the sash and tossed it to the side. She gripped onto Feng Shui, tight, and had slowly opened her upper robe revealing her neck, collarbone, and exposed breasts.

Flare had blushed heavily. He had never seen expose breasts before. He had heard older guys talk about sex, but had little clue what it really was. _'No way! These are breasts?' _He tried to sit up a little, but Mei suddenly laid him back down on the bed gently.

She knew what he wanted to do, so she brought his hands up to her breasts again, groping and squeezing. "Ah..." she let out another moan. _'Your hands feel so warm...' _Mei thought, feeling more sexual.

Flare sat up and shared a tender kiss with Mei. _'So this is what tender sex is like.' _Their tongues fought for dominance, and Mei's had suddenly won. He thought as he kept kissing her. He then started kissing down from her bottom lip, to her neck, to her lower neck where the bruise used to be, to her left collar bone.

"Keep going... keep going..." Mei moaned out. He kept kissing down to her chest, then noticed her breasts. He kiss and groaped each of them, then started licking. Mei then brought Flare's chin up with a single finger, then gave him another tender kiss. She removed her robe entirely revealing her curveand tan body.

Flare blushed heavily. "You have a wonderful body." He muttered out, honestly.

Mei giggled after hearing his words. "Thank you. You're not so bad yourself." She placed her index finger in her mouth, took it out, with little saliva on the tip of it. Then ran it down on Flare's chin to his bare chest. She smiled. "I want to show you something..." Mei rubbed one of her own breasts with her hand until her nipples were erected.

Flare massaged her breasts, which is causing Mei to moan louder. He laid Mei on her back, placing himself over her body. Her legs were closed and her arms were stretched out. Flare decided to sexually punish the beautiful woman lying below her. Flare started tickling her sides from under her armpits, down to her waist with his fingers. Mei couldn't handle being tickled. "Ah ha hah!" she giggled out loud as her body wiggled a bit, then she leaned on her right side. She lied on her back and proceeded to kiss lips. He spotted her black panties and asked.

"Can I-" Flare got cut off before he could remove her panties.

"Wait. There's something else I want to do before we go there." Mei said before pushing him down on his backside. She then looked at his boxers and noticed he had an erection. She hand massaged him bulge which is still inside of his boxers which caused him to silently moan. Mei removed his boxers only to find Flare having a developed member. Mei looked at Flare and asked. "Flare, how old are you?"

"Seventeen." Flare answered.

"Really... you're younger than me. I'm actually-" Mei leaned closer to him and whispered into his ear.

"Oh." Flare said in surprise.

"Is this your first time doing this?" Mei asked and got a nod yes from Flare. "It's my first time doing this, too. I'm a virgin." she smiled and touched the tip of his cock with her middle finger. Flare stood there and watched as Mei had started working her magic. She started rubbing his cock up and down, giving him a handjob. Flare tried to resist the pleasure. _'Let's... do this.' _Mei thought then decided to lick it, like ice cream, then all of a sudden Mei dove in head first with her mouth and started giving him a blowjob.

Flare gasped out loud as he felt a chill spread throughout his body. He didn't know about it or what was called, but it felt very good. Flare couldn't hold back now. The pleasure, the satisfaction. He was simply moaning, then Mei started going faster. _'This is too great to handle!' I feel something inside me about to burst! But what is it-' _Before he could finish his thoughts, Flare released his juices, cumming for the first time. The white semen had squirted onto Mei's face. "Sorry!" Flare immediately apologized to her.

"There's no need." Mei replied as she licked some of the hot semen off her face with lust in her eyes. Mei grabbed his ember and moved her soft breasts between it. Started boob jobbing his member for a minute until he cum onto her chest. She took off her panties in front of him, revealing her vagina. Flare took a few seconds of staring at her womanhood. Mei positioned herself doggy style, she called him over with a finger.

Flare crawled across the bed and grabbed Mei by her sides and positioned himself behind her. He noticed that Mei had a whole above her vagina and decided to go for it first. Before putting it in, Flare looked to Mei whom turned her head around and nodded yes. He heard some people talking about their first time in the Capital in the past couple of days. He had placed the tip in first, which caused Mei to gasp. "Do it... Just do it." she moaned and begged. After hearing her words, Flare made a hard thrust sticking his entire member into her ass hole.

"Ahh!" Mei jumped in reaction of Flare's entire member inside of her. She silently screamed in pleasure and pain. Tears formed in her dues due to his hot member inside her. He arched his back forward and slowly started thrusting back and forth so Mei could keep up with him. "Yes... yes." Mei muttered. A few minutes, Flare could feel himself about to burst again.

"Mei... I'm about to... to-"

Mei cut him off. "Cum?" she finished his sentence. "That's what they call it?" Flare asked and Mei nodded as she buried her face in a pillow. Flare kept thrusting until he once again released his juices into her whole.

Flare pulled out of her, leaving Mei's face buried in a pillow and her ass visible. Flare panted and fell on his but. Mei slowly lifted her head up from the pillow and started panting. She lied down on her side and waited a couple of seconds to speak. "Flare..." he moved towards her to see if she needed anything.

"Yeah?"

She looked up to see Flare over her. "Let's keep going." Flare smiled. Mei pecked his lips before lying back down on her back. She opened her legs so Flare could penetrate her vagina. Flare leaned his head closer to her womanhood and started tasting that vagina. Mei moaned loudly as she was giving Flare the taste to her vagina with his member. Her nails dug into the sheets so she could stay steady. "So good." Mei muttered.

Flare leaned up, grabbed hold of her legs kept them in place. He brought his body closer to hers as he positioned his member. Flare looked at Mei to see if it was alright to put it in. Mei looked at him and slowly nodded. He got the message and made one big thrust into her vagina causing her to scream. "Aaah!" As Mei screamed, Flare lowered his body and pressed his lips so no one could hear her. Virgin blood started dripping out of her vagina. _'It's too hot!' _A stream of tears fell down her face as the pain was too much. Flare tried to pull out, but Mei stopped him by wrapping her arms around his neck, bringing their faces closer. She shook her head no. Meaning she did not want him to stop. "Don't... stop." she pleaded as she bit her lip.

Flare placed his hands on the bed over Mei and thrust into her slowly. He continued to thrust inside of her for a while. As he thrust, Mei's body would move in rhythm. A few seconds later, she would kiss his lips and wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. "Take me." she whispered. "Faster..." she moaned. He did as what she told him to do. A few minutes later, Mei could feel it. "I'm going to cum!" she yelled.

Flare remained silent for a bit, while working her. Ten seconds later, they both climaxed for the first time. After climaxing, Flare instantly pulled out of her and collapsed to his side with his arms spread out. His skin was a little red due to exhaustion. Mei still had little left in the tank. Mei kissed Flare on his lips.

"M... Mei?" Flare turned his head to the left only to see Mei lying on her stomach panting and looking at him.

"What?"

Flare tried to sit up. "I'm sorry. I don't think I can stand up right now. My legs are soar." he said.

"I see." Mei then used her hands and crawled over his body. She pressed her bare chest against his. Their faces were close to each other and their noses barely made contact. The two made out for a short time until Mei had enough strength to sit up and position her vagina over his member. She slammed herself down onto his member causing her to scream. Flare's member had already broken her inner walls and nearly touching the womb. Flare's body jerked as he felt Mei on top of him. She rocked back and forth moaning him. Flare grabbed her hips so she wouldn't fall over. Through her moans, it started to get a little louder in pleasure.

"Flare..." she called. "What is it?" He responded.

"Your cock is number one!" she complimented in a lustful voice.

"For real?!" Flare blushed as he heard Mei blurt out random things.

"Yes!" she yelled. Two minutes later, the two partners were at their breaking points.

"I'm gonna do it... I'm gonna cum!" Flare yelled.

"Mee too." Mei yelled as well. It did not take long until they both finally climaxed. Flare gave out and Mei had her final orgasm. She waited a few seconds before she ejected herself from his hard cock and lied on the bed next to him. The duo had now lost both their virginity to one another. They now had their first time. Both of their bodies were tired, their faces were red and covered with sweat and between the sheets. Their bodies ached due to fucking too hard.

"Wow. That was... fun." Mei let out tears of joy while smiling.

Flare chuckled at her for smiling. He tried to sit up, but was too worn out from the activity. "My-ow..." Flare ached a bit. "I feel like I'm aching."

"It's alright... Don't go anywhere right now..." Mei panted. She then tried to move her hand far enough to reach his, but Flare already grabs it and held her hand tight and reeled her in so their bodies can make contact. His chest was touching her backside. "Th-Thank you, Flare." Mei said with a huge blush on her face.

"I guess... anytime." he kissed her forehead as she panted.

"I love you, Flare." As she said it, Flare was already sleeping, and Mei couldn't do anything but smile as she began to doze off into sleep.

What neither of them knew was that while they were doing sexual intercourse, an individual colored aura had started glowing around them. Flare's body had glowed a bright fiery orange aura, and Mei Ling's body had glowed a calm jade green aura, possibly due to their Imperial Arms.

The next morning, as the sun came up, the rooster made its way up on top of the house roof and crowed at the sun. Flare opened up his eyes. He turned his head to the left and saw Mei Ling sound asleep beside him. Both were still naked under the sheets. He sat up and looked around. He looked through the window and saw that it was morning. The ray of sunshine had met Flare's face and he smiled at it.

"Morning, sunshine." Flare looked next to him and saw Mei Ling awake and smiling at him.

"Good morning, Mei. I could've sworn you were sleeping a moment ago."

Mei then sat up facing him. "Well, I was asleep. But then I could feel your warmth in the bed, so…" Mei blushed.

Flare chuckled. But then that chuckle began to turn into a frown. Mei was able to notice it. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Mei… there's something I gotta tell you…" Flare had begun to say.

"What is it?" she asked in concern.

Flare's eyes had met hers. "Do… you like me?" he asked.

Mei blushed after hearing the question, she responded by laying him down on his back then pressed her bosom onto his chest. Their lips made contact and her tongue had slipped through his mouth. "Mmm." She moaned. "Yes. I really do."

"Oh." His eyes moved to the left.

"What's wrong?"

"There's something I gotta tell you. It's important."

"Are you with someone else and you're just using me?"

"No… it's not like that at all."

"Are you in some sort of trouble?"

"No. I'm not in trouble… there's something that's been troubling me for a little bit. I came to the capital to stop this tyranny, but look what I'm doing." He said.

"What do you mean? Did I do something wrong?" she asked as she leaned up.

"No. It's not you, it's just me. I need to get this straight off my chest." Flare hesitated a bit. "Mei, I-"

"Shh…" Mei placed a finger over his lips. "If it bothers you that much, then you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"It's not that I want to, but I have to." He hesitated to say it for a few seconds. "I'm… I'm the Minister's biological son!" he admitted.

Mei was left speechless. "W… what?" Mei is aware of the Prime Minister's misdeeds and his terrorism towards the entire Empire. When Flare told her the news, she didn't know what to do next.

"I'm sorry, I didn't tell you from the beginning. You can even hate me if you want to…" Mei had stayed silent as Flare talked. She had finally made up her mind. Instead of scolding him or kicking him out for being the Minister's son, Mei decided to embrace him with a few tears of joy in her eyes. She then grabbed his face and placed it near her bosom. "I will love you, Flare. No matter what." She whispered into his ear.

"Even if the whole world was against me?" he asked and she nodded. "If I had more than one…"

"Definitely. I can see it in you. You're strong, kind, brave and you help people. You have fire powers, but you use it to help people instead of hurting them. That's why I fell in love with you. And it's not just me, but other people will see that in you. They will see the goodness inside of you. I believe you can change the Empire for the better." Mei said as she caressed his head. In that moment, Flare done something he has never done in front of another person. He openly cried in front of someone. "Shh… it'll be alright." She said in a soft tone. Mei then lied on her back and Flare is now crying over her.

"Mei?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you so much." Flare thanked her. Mei then let out a tear.

Twenty minutes after lying down, Mei got up out of bed, still in the nude. She turned and offered Flare a hand, which he accepted. The two showered together and remained silent. They romantically held each other as the shower ran. Mei lied her cheek onto his head, as Flare had wrapped his arms around her lower back and made it in the shower.

Shortly after, the two were dressed in their usual clothes, and Flare was ready to go. Flare had breakfast such as and green tea. After he was done, he walked to the door.

"Well, so long, Mei. And thank you for everything." he said.

"Wait." Mei walked over and gave him a romantic goodbye kiss. "Please come back when you can."

"I will. I promise." Flare said.

Mei nodded, as she clutched Jade on her chest. "When you do, I'll make you moregreen tea." She chuckled.

Flare responded smiling to her and she smiled back. Flare had left her house and went on his way. "I'll be looking forward to it." He silently chuckled.


	6. The Phoenix meets the Sleeping Dragon

Twenty minutes had passed since Flare had left Chinatown and walked within other districts to find Seryu. _'Alright, I need to find Seryu. She should be around here somewhere.' _Flare had entered an district with a poor economy.

"Uh oh. I think I'm lost." He looked around for a little while. He tried asking people directions, but most wouldn't answer and others didn't know. _'Well, no one would answer me directly. If I was at least Ieyasu, where would I be?' _Flare looked up at the buildings and that gave him an idea. _'If I can't search low, then I'll search high.' _Flare climbed and jumped onto a roof.

"That's better." He looked at the scenery trying to memorize where he was. He then looked from behind and spotted the upper levels of the capital. _'There's the capital! __Now I just gotta jump and—' _He was then cut off by a scream.

"Ah!"

"What the?" Flare had heard a scream once again. He knew he had to help those who are in need. He's an Imperial soldier. So he forgot about the walls and ran towards where the scream was. _'Is this a robbery, or a murder?' _He ran to a dark alley where he found two older guys harassing a little girl. The girl has Periwinkle matching colored hair and eyes. She was wearing a poor raggedy brown dress with a pink ribbon tied to her waist, and a pair of brown boots.

One of the bullies had had the girl pinned to the wall strangling her. "Go ahead and scream, no one will hear you! In fact, no one is coming to rescue a refugee like you!" Bully #1 said.

"Please… let me go…" the girl pleaded.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Flare asked the two bullies.

Bully #1 dropped the girl and walked up to Flare. "What, you're gonna do something about it?"

"This girl is a refugee from a poor country. She could be a spy or a traitor." Bully #2 said.

"So could I, but you don't see anyone tryna pick on me. Come pick on someone your own size?" Flare suggested.

The two bullies pulled out their weapons. One had a knife and the other one had brass knuckles. "It's your funeral!" Bully #1 charged and started swinging at Flare with his brass knuckles, but Flare had easily dodged. _'He's throwing sloppy punches.' _Flare then punched Bully #1 in the face sending him flying to a wall, knocking him unconscious. Bully #2 charged at him with a pocket knife. Flare quickly grabbed a nearby trash lid and was able to disarm and protect himself with the knife, then side kicked Bully #2 in the face causing him to be knocked unconscious.

Flare then turned his attention to the girl. "Are you hurt?" he asked and the girl shook her head no.

"Thank you for saving me." She said.

"Don't say that." Flare said leaving her confused. "No one is safe at all. By the way, what are you doing in these parts? And where are your parents?" he asked.

"They're gone. I'm… the only one left." The girl said as she started to cry.

Flare bent one knee facing her. "Hey, I know it's tough out here, but you have to be strong."

"That's what another person told me." She said.

"Another person said that?"

"It was a girl. She had long pink hair and a pink dress." She said.

This caused Flare to remember the time he encountered Mine and Sheele. _'It couldn't be the one with the gun. If that's the case, no ordinary citizen would help a refugee out like this. Only outsiders usually help outsiders out. Now that I know if she really did that for her, that means…' _he thought. "Are you from a foreign tribe?" he asked and she nodded.

"How did you know?" she asked.

"To be honest, I'm not from capital. I came from a far away village." Flare said. This made the girl happy meeting someone not from the Empire. "Do you have a name?"

She nodded. "My name's Periwinkle."

"I'm Flare."

"Flare. Nice to meet you!" she said with a bright smile.

"Now that's out of the way, let's get out of here. Before someone else shows up." He said.

"I can't… everyone will see me and start picking on me again." She said as she worried how people are going to treat her.

"Trust me. I'm not going to let that happen. I'll deal with them."

Periwinkle looked at the unconscious bullies, then looked back at Flare. "Okay!" She had climbed onto his back.

"Let's go." After that, Flare took Periwinkle out of the dark alleyway and into the light. After that, they ventured through the district. Some people had started to notice her. He can hear people talking about her. _'The nerve of these people. Can't anyone just welcome anyone with open arms?' _Flare kept walking.

Periwinkle's stomach started grumbling. "I'm getting hungry."

"Don't worry. I'll find a place for us to eat. It won't be far." Flare looked around to find a place to eat.

"Flare!" someone called his name.

'_Wait, I know that voice!' _he thought as he turned around and saw Seryu, and also Sayo and Ieyasu running towards him. He quickly placed Periwinke down. "Seryu!"

She quickly jumped and hugged Flare. "It's nice to see you!" she said in excitement.

"You seem happier than usual." Flare said grinning.

"Yes! The emperor had acknowledged us for taking down evil, and now he wants to promote us!" she said. "Bark!" Koro barked in excitement. "Koro and I were planning on going out today, and then I saw you and-"

She then noticed Periwinkle standing next to him. "Aww, who's this little cutie?"

Perinkle blushed a little. "I'm Periwinkle." She said.

"And how old are you?" Seryu asked.

"Eight. I'm eight years old." She said.

"Nice to meet you, Periwinkle. I'm Seryu Ubiquitous, an Imperial Guard of Justice! And this is my partner in crime, Koro!" she said proudly. "Bark!" Koro barked.

"A doggy!" Periwinkle yelled as she started softly petting Koro.

"Hey Flare. What have you been doing?" Seryu asked.

"So far, I've been just making friends. About fifteen minutes ago, I rescued Periwinkle from bullies." He said.

"That's great! Defending the innocent and stopping evil!" Seryu said happily.

"Sure, right." Flare looked around. "Hey Seryu? Where do you wanna go?" he asked.

"Hm? What do you mean?" Seryu asked in confusion.

"I remember what you said when I was in the hospital." Flare recalled.

"Oh! The date!" Seryu said particularly blushing. "You see. I never thought it would be today and all..." Seryu turned away blushing, while twiddling her mechanical thumbs.

"I get it. Some other time then?"

"N-no! We can have it right now if you want!" Seryu face was nervous.

Flare chuckled after seeing her face red. "It's alright. I didn't mean to you all embarrassed."

"Oh." Seryu had taken a deep breath and the red on her face was gone.

"So, where would you like to go?" he asked again.

"I… um," Seryu took a few moments to decide where to go. "I know!" A working imaginary light bulb appeared over her head as she thought of something. "There's a pastry shop in the upper levels. It's in one of the nicest districts of the capital. Then we can go to a workshop filled with cute plush animals. Then there's a clothing store we can go to. They have pretty expensive dresses I can't wait to try on."

'_Did she just say expensive dresses? How much money do you think I have?' _Flare thought as he looked at Seryu. His legs were shaking a bit.

"That's sounds great! Can I come too?" Periwinkle asked as she got on Flare's back again.

"Of course you can!" Seryu grabbed Koro on one side and grabbed Flare's arm and started running. "Let's go!"

"Ah, Hey, wait!" Flare said trying to get her to slow her down. Flare noticed Seryu's arm was starting to loose itself. "Seryu, slow down!" Seryu stopped and noticed Flare was losing balance. "The stores are just opening. They're not going anywhere this time of day." he said catching his breath. It is currently Nine o' Clock.

"Sorry, I just never been out with anyone before." Seryu looked down at the ground, thinking that Flare is scolding her.

Flare saw her expression. "No, I wasn't trying to be mean, I was just looking out for you. I just want you to take it easy. We can still go to stores." He said smiling.

"Oh. Okay." Seryu said looking up to Flare.

Flare and Seryu walked in the streets casually like a normal couple, except with a little company. It was actually peaceful around this part of town. They went into different kinds of shops as it was some kind of field trip. The first place they went to was the toy shop. What Flare had noticed was that Seryu had a soft spot for plush animals. It was a build your own animal workshop that Seryu and Periwinkle indefinitely enjoyed building them, while Koro would just eat the cotton.

The next place they went to was a pastry shop filled with goodies. Seryu had a big appetite that Flare didn't know about. Seryu ate chocolate sweets, Periwinkle ate a strawberry shortcake and Koro… ate everything else inside of the store. Seryu was short on cash to pay for the food that Koro ate, so she had no choice but to rely on Flare to pay for it.

The next place they went to was an all female spa. Seryu and Periwinkle had a makeover, their nails and toes polished, got their hair done and relaxed their bodies inside of the hot springs while Flare was stuck outside watching Koro.

The next place they went to was a clothing store where they can get all pretty expensive clothing. For the next two hours, Seryu and Periwinkle tried on a number of dresses. Flare could tell they were happy with that. Flare also paid for the expensive clothing.

The next place they went to was a photoshop. The three took photoshoots together. Flare and Periwinkle took a picture dressed as animals. Seryu and Periwinkle took one photo dressed as cops and robbers. Flare and Seryu took a picture dressed as a wedded couple. The wedded couple picture was Seryu's favorite. It is now one o' Clock in the afternoon, and Flare and Koro were carrying the gifts he bought for them. They had just finished shopping for the day.

"That was the most fun I've ever had!" Periwinkle said happily. She had on a cute red dress with a big black bow on her back.

"Same here!" Seryu laughed. "What do you think, Flare?" Seryu asked him. She then noticed something was weird with Flare. "Something wrong?" she asked in concern.

Flare snapped out of it. "Huh? Oh, did I startle you?" he asked.

They stopped walking for a moment. "You haven't said anything in a while. Is there something bothering you?" Seryu asked as she leaned her upper body close to him.

"Not really, but I want to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"Do you like me?" he asked.

"Of course I do! How could I not like you? You're one of my best friends!" Seryu answered cheerfully.

Flare blushed a little. "Well, it's better to tell you now then later, right?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" Seryu asked confusedly.

"Yesterday, I met another girl yesterday. She invited me to her house. She didn't mind if I was with other girls as long I was with them too. Last night. We uh-" Flare said with honesty, but he fears he had said it too soon.

There was nothing but silence for a brief moment as the wind blown. Seryu's face was covered with shadow and her hair had blown over her eyes. "Tell me, Flare." She said with a low voice. "Is she evil?" she asked in a dark manner.

"N-no! Not at all!" he said as a few small orbs of sweat started to form on his face. _'Where is this dark aura coming from?'_

"I see…" Seryu said with a low voice. Her mood had went from dark to light in a matter of seconds. "Well then! If this is a competition, then I'll do what I can to win you over!" she said with a confident smile.

Flare blushed a little. '_I was prepared to be chewed out, or even attacked. But Seryu is a different story. But wait, she just asked me if Mei was evil. What did she mean? Did she mean evil as in Night Raid?' _he thought.

"By the way, thank you for telling me that. I had a feeling that other girls would like you as much as I do." Seryu said.

"Are you really okay with this?" Flare asked as he looked at Seryu.

Seryu nodded. "Trust me, I won't lose you to anybody! Not even to this little cutie!" Seryu referred to Periwinkle which caused her to blush and giggle.

"Wow. Thanks. That's actually grea—" Someone had bumped into Flare, knocking some boxes down. "Hey, watch it!" Flare yelled at the guy.

"Whoa! Sorry about that!" Tatsumi said acting embarrassed as he turned around. Flare got a better look at the guy. He had medium length brown hair and green eyes. He wore a large white jacket, a tanned sleeveless sweater over a white button collared shirt. He also had blue jeans and brown boots. Tatsumi opened his eyes and noticed Seryu was in front of him. The sight of seeing Seryu made his stomach turn a little. He has not forgotten how she captured Sheele. He quickly turned around so they won't see his face. _'Oh no, it's Seryu! The girl who attacked Sheele and Mine!' _Tatsumi gripped his fist in anger. _'Calm down, Tatsumi. Remember what bro said. It takes more than passion to survive. Don't throw away your cover over some temper tantrum!' _He tried to restrain himself and calmed down a little.

As Tatsumi's back was turned, Flare took the liberty of looking at Tatsumi's sword. It was really the Imperial Arms, **Demon Armor : Incursio. **Flare had noticed a weird looking eye on the sword. _'This is a weird looking eye. Wait a minute…' _Flare then realized what it was. Incursio's Eye from the book Father Christopher gave him. _'That must be it! Incursio! I've heard in the reports that there was a man who defected from the Imperial Army who wielded Incursio named Bulat. It's supposed to be some kind of living armor… but what's this guy doing with it? Is he a rebel spy?' _Flare wondered, then sensed anger coming from Tatsumi all of a sudden,whom is trying to suppress it. _'That anger moments ago. Why did he just get angry all of a sudden? Was it by meeting Seryu? If so… did she do something to piss him off?'_

"Wait, I know you. You're Tatsumi!" Seryu said.

Tatsumi turned to see Seryu again. "S-Seryu… U-Ubiquitous!?"

'_So this guy is Tatsumi. The weird guy I've heard about since coming to the capital.' _Flare recalled. "You know this guy, Seryu?" he asked.

"I do. He was lost in the slums over a week ago, and I was able to help him find his rendezvous spot." Seryu said proudly.

As they talked, Periwinkle got a good look at Tatsumi and remembered something. "I remember you." She said.

Tatsumi looked down to see the little girl. "You do?"

Periwinkle nodded. "I do. You helped rescue me with that pink girl in an alleyway." She recalled.

"Pink girl? What pink girl?" Seryu asked.

Tatsumi gasped. _'Shit! It's that orphan Mine and I saved a while ago!' _Tatsumi then looked at Seryu. _If Seryu finds out about Mine, she's gonna find out I'm apart of Night Raid, she'll kill me and my cover will be blown!' _he thought nervously. "No, no. You must got me confused with another guy." Tatsumi tried to trick her.

"Are you sure?" Periwinkle asked.

'_He's lying.' _Flare could sense Tatsumi's lies. _'So, he was there as well. The pink girl she brought up must be the one I fought in the park.' _He started to put the pieces together.

"So how you been, Tatsumi?" Seryu asked.

"Oh. I'm just looking around, enjoying the capital, trying to make money here and there for my village." Tatsumi replied.

"So you're here to support your village here too, huh? That's what I'm kind of doing." Flare said.

"Wait, you're not from the Empire too?" Tatsumi asked Flare.

"Oh, Tatsumi. I haven't introduced you two yet. This is my boyfriend, Flare." Seryu said as she latched on to his left arm.

'_So this is Flare. The one everyone's talking about. He's the guy that can use fire. Just as Mine said. I need to act cool.' _Tatsumi thought.

"Thanks to him, we were able to capture evil together. Hopefully we can bring the purple girl to justice!" Seryu said.

Tatsumi gasped after hearing her talk about Sheele. _'Just stay calm, stay calm already!' _Tatsumi tried to suppress his emotions again.

Flare could sense Tatsumi's anger again. _'His anger rose up again. What's this guy's deal?' _Flare thought as he looked down.

Tatsumi looked a Flare. "What is it?"

"Hey Tatsumi, I'm not gay or anything, but your zipper is down." Flare informed Tatsumi.

Tatsumi then became flustered. "Ah! How embarrassing!" He then turned around and zipped up his pants again. He sighed. "Thanks, Flare. You're a life saver." He said as put a hand on his head. "Oh yeah, I just remembered!"

"Remembered what?" Seryu asked.

"I have to meet a few of my friends at a tavern." Tatsumi said nervously as he pointed west.

"Do you need help getting there?" Seryu asked.

"No, no. I know my way around this time. Bye!" Tatsumi quickly dashed off.

"Nice seeing you again! Good luck finding your friends!" Seryu said waving him.

"Hey, Seryu?" Flare called her.

"Hm?"

"Didn't you find it strange how he was acting?" he asked.

"Not really…" Seryu placed a finger on her chin. "Come to think of it, he never acted like this when we first met." She recalled. "Oh yeah, we should still go to a café before it fills with people." She and Periwinkle started walking while Flare looked back at the direction Tatsumi left. "Flare? Is everything alright?" she asked.

"I'm fine. Now where is that café you were talking about?" he asked as he walked with Seryu and Periwinkle.

"Oh. It's this way." Seryu pointed.

"Ok. Next stop, the café." Flare said.

"Yea!" Periwinkle cheered.

As they walked, Flare couldn't help but think about Tatsumi. _'Tatsumi. You may have fooled a lot of people, but you can't fool me. The way you acted as if you were in a real rush… you were trying to run away from us. The way you acted as you met us and we the way we talked about Sheele. You wanted revenge, didn't you? I know who you are now. You're part of Night Raid… right Tatsumi?' _

Tatsumi put on his white hoodie and blended into the crowd to make sure no one noticed him. _'I can't believe I saw Seryu again, after what they did to Sheele, I can't stay mad at her. I mean, I'm happy Sheele's still alive though. If bro had never told me to stay calm, I woul've blown my cover a while back. And that Flare guy. The boss told me to watch out for him. I can't get burned by him. _Tatsumi thought as he ready to leave the crowd.

'_I don't know why, but I have a weird feeling. The next time we cross paths again… it will be. On the battlefield.' _Both Flare and Tatsumi thought at the same time in different areas. _'I just know it.' _


	7. The Tournament

The next day, it was another sunny day. Flare and Periwinkle had went to the Imperial Police Station to report that Tatsumi is a member of Night Raid. The station was filled with busy people.

"You sure this… Tatsumi fellow is a member of Night Raid?" The first officer asked.

"Yes. I'm sure of it. He has Incursio's sword. I saw it in person." Flare said.

"And what did the sword look like?" The first officer asked sarcastically.

"It was mostly silver, with a big red eye in the middle." Flare said seriously.

"And what did this… Tatsumi look like again?" The first officer asked.

"Don't you remember? Weird brown hair, green eyes, a commoner?" The first officer told the other officer.

"Still doesn't ring a bell." The first officer said.

The second officer walked over to the first and tried to make him remember what Tatsumi looked like. "You know, the guy who pulled out his sword at the recruitment office, said he was worth being captain or some shit, and Charles threw him out the other week." The second officer stated.

It took a few seconds until he realized. "Oh, that guy!" officer #1 realized. "I'd completely forgotten about him." The first officer said. "So, Flare..." The first officer turned his attention to Flare "Are you certain you saw him in Kawa district?"

"Yeah. I was with Seryu Ubiquitous when we met. He said he had to meet up with friends at the bar, but I knew he was lying." Flare stated.

"And what about you, little girl?" The first officer turned his attention to Periwinkle "Do you know this Tatsumi?"

Periwinkle nodded her head and said "Over a week ago, I was being bullied by two older guys and they came and saved me. I didn't know their names though…"

The second officer cut her off by asking "Wait, did you say… THEY?"

"Yes. There was another one, who came. She had long pink hair, and a pink dress." Periwinkle stated.

'_Long pink hair and a pink dress, eh?' _The first officer thought to himself. Then turned his attention to the first officer. "Get the wanted poster."

"Yes sir." The second officer went to go get it. Seconds later, he brought it to his partner. "Here."

"Is this the girl who supposed saved you?" The first officer showed Periwinkle the Wanted poster of Mine.

"Yes, that's her! She told me I needed to be strong." Periwinkle pointed.

"I see. Listen, this person… is not a good person." The first officer had begun to say.

"I know, she's bad, and apart of Night Raid. They kill people at random." Periwinkle said.

"Smart girl. Well, you both did the right thing by letting the authorities know. We'll have these posters out ASAP." The first officer said.

"Thanks. Let's go, Periwinkle." Flare said while leaving the station.

"Okay," Periwinkle responded while following him out. They left the Imperial Station and started walking on the street. "So, what's next?" Periwinkle asked.

"That I don't know." Flare had stopped as he looked at the poster. "Hm. A tournament." Flared took the poster off the wall.

"What's a tournament?" Periwinkle asked.

"I guess it's supposed to be some kind of fight, and the winner gets prize money." Flare explained.

"You mean, we get lots of money?"

"Well, yeah. That's what it says."

"You should definitely enter!" Periwinkle insisted.

"Um, I don't know..." Flare begun to wonder.

"Come on! You can get reward money to support your village! Plus, we can have money for ourselves." Periwinkle insisted.

"Hm. Alright, I'll do it."

"Hurray!" Periwinkle jumped in excitement.

"_I wonder, what Seryu's right now?." _Flare thought as he looked up at the sky.

* * *

Inside the Imperial Palace, Wave and Bols are cooking food for the other Jaegers, Kurome at a table playing with Koro with a wheat vector, Run and Dr. Stylish are talking to one another, and Seryu is at a table talking with Esdeath. "Ms. Esdeath, when not working, what kind of things do you like to do?" Seryu asked curiously.

"Usually, I like learning how to torture, and battling," Esdeath replied while drinking her wine. "But recently, I have an interest into falling in love." She said as she put her glass of wine down. This caught Seryu and Kurome's attention.

"Love?" Seryu asked.

'_That's obviously stupid.' _Kurome thought then started playing with Koro again.

"Yes. It's time that I find someone who can match my liking," Esdeath looked to Seryu. "Seryu, have you ever fallen in love before?" Esdeath asked.

Esdeath's question caused Seryu to blush and to think about Flare for a moment. "Um… well…" Seryu hesitated to answer.

"It's alright, maybe another time. Moving on, I heard reports that we have an extra Imperial Arms. And that we have a member of Night Raid who are currently in the dungeon."

"Oh. Yes! It's a Scissor-Type Imperial Arm that I have claimed from evil!" Seryu said cheerfully. "We have yet to find a user. And the Night Raid woman, Sheele. She has yet to reveal any information about Night Raid."

"Alright, leave it to me. Just give me five minutes with her," she said holding her glass wine in her hand. "And I'll have her talking." she gave Seryu and Kurome a confident smile. "Besides, the Minister will confiscate it if we don't find a user soon. Speaking of wielders, there was supposed to be another Imperial Arm wielder to show up today but didn't. From the reports, I heard he can control the power of fire." Esdeath wondered.

"Oh, you mean Flare!" Seryu said putting her hands on the table.

"You mean, you know him?" Esdeath asked.

Seryu blushed "Y-yes. He helped me capture that Night Raid. I thought he would show up today…"

"Really. I say if he won't come to us, we'll come to him." Esdeath said twiddling her fingers.

"You mean it?" Seryu asked.

"Yes. To find this… Flare, and our Imperial Arms candidate, we must turn our search into a little game." Esdeath said with a straight face.

"Captain?" Seryu squeaked.

"Hm? What is it?" Esdeath shifted her eyes and met Seryu's auburn eyes.

"There's something you should know first..." Seryu rub a finger on her cheek.

* * *

The next day, Tatsumi's going around town gathering information about the Jaegers. He sees people looking at him suspiciously and started giving him bad vibes. _"The people's looking at me suspiciously today. I wonder, what's up with them?" _Tatsumi thought as he kept walking until he saw Lubbock dressed as a Librarian waiting for him.

"There you are." Lubbock said.

"Hey." Tatsumi said.

"Quick, get in here!" Lubbock said quietly as he opened the door. They walk by a bookshelf and Lubbock pressed the books to grant a secret passageway.

"Whoa, a secret passageway, this is like a hidden base."

"Yep, my pride and joy!" Lubbock bragged.

"Come on, it's not like you built the base yourself." Tatsumi said walking down the stairs.

"Hello! Welcome to our secret base!" Leone said all cheerful waiting for him.

"You're not being all secretive!" Tatsumi said aggravated.

"Well, the Imperial Guards put up post of us all over the city." Lubbock gave Tatsumi a Wanted poster of Mine. "There's still a few of us who can bee seen." He said with a straight face.

"Yeah, and the capital's going crazy. A special police force called the Jaegers." Tatsumi said looking at Lubbock. "I was gathering information around town for the past few days, and I couldn't help notice that people were looking at me in a different way." Tatsumi noted.

"Look, there's something I gotta tell you." Lubbock began to say, then gave Tatsumi another poster.

Tatsumi took it and looked at it. "What the hell? I was discovered already?!" Tatsumi said shocked.

"I found it this morning when I was coming over here." Lubbock said.

Earlier that morning, Lubbock was walking to his library until he saw a poster of Tatsumi on the wall. He then walked up and took it. "Oh no." Then he looked around to see if no one was watching and quickly took off.

"That's why I quickly called you over. Because if anyone recognized you, they would've called the guards." Lubbock said.

"Well in that case, I guess I can only appear at night. Wouldn't make that much of a difference." Tatsumi said.

"I was going to give you this." Lubbock said as he gave Tatsumi a flyer.

"A tournament." Tatsumi said.

"Yeah. Esdeath is sponsoring a Martial Arts tournament. I was going to consider you, but…" Lubbock said shrugging.

"I don't get it. I always covered my presence around people. How could anyone sense me o—" Tatsumi then thought back to the time he met Flare. "It was probably him back then." Tatsumi said refreshing his memory.

"Who?" Leone asked.

"That Flare guy. I met him with Seryu Ubiquitous. I finally know what he looks like. And another thing to it. He's a commoner from a villager that came to the Capital." Tatsumi said.

"Good thing you came out unscathed then. But sucks to be you, Leone and I are gonna observe this Flare at the tournament. "It'll be like a date!" Lubbock said in a pervy way holding his fist up.

"Nope!" Leone said knocking Lubbock into the wall in a humor way.

* * *

Emperor Makoto and Prime Minister Honest are having dinner inside the palace. "Minister, why do you think that General Esdeath is thinking about falling in love?" Emperor Makoto asked curiously.

Prime Minister grabbed a whole pie "Everyone begin to have such feelings when they reach a certain age in life. It's part of Human Nature," Honest said before he took a bite out of a pie. "General Esdeath was born a warrior, it doesn't surprise me that she only cares about war. Now she's just thinking of falling in love. I wonder, what gave her that idea?"

"Interesting..." Emperor Makoto looked down and put his hand on his chin. "It would be wonderful to find a match."

"General Esdeath is a bright, intelligent woman. She won't waste her time on someone who doesn't fit interest." Prime Minister Honest said before finishing up his pie.

"Then, how are we supposed to find a match for her like this?" the Emperor asked while holding up a list.

**_ "Number one, he must have potential more than anything else. I would like to train him personally to become a general. Number two, he must have composure and hunt down Danger Beasts. Number three, he mustn't have been raised in the capital, rather in a far away land, or a frontier."_** Emperor Makoto read the first three instructions.

"Then number four, I want the suitor to be younger than I, so I can dominate him, if you know what I mean." Prime Minister Honest read.

"Dominate? What does that mean?" Emperor Makoto asked.

"W-well there's a difference in domination. There's war, and well u-um… the other thing." Prime Minister Honest stuttered, looking the other way.

"What?"

"Never mind! Never mind! Let's just keep reading!" Prime Minister Honest said embarrassed.

"Okay, number five, he must have a pure innocent smile." The Emperor finished reading. He sighs. "The majority of people won't get passed number one!" Emperor Makoto said as he got bored.

"Yes, yes. Most men don't have the kind of potential she is looking for. "Prime Minister said before eating ham.

* * *

The next day is a Tournament in the Imperial Arena. The sky was sunny, the seats were filled with people. Periwinkle blended with the crowd and had found good view seats to sit in.

Flare was a contestant for the final match in Esdeath's tournament. He had approached the ring where his opponent Kalbi stood before him and Wave stood to the side with a microphone in his hand.

"To my left, Kalbi, the Butcher!" Wave presented. Kalbi is a large Minotaur looking man with a big silver ring in his nostrils, wearing a short jacket revealing his abs, cargo shorts and with with penny loafer shoes covering his hoofs. "And to my right, Flare, the Beast Hunter!"

People have been talking among the crowd. "Wait, did he just say Flare?"

"You mean as in The Flare?"

"What's that guy doing here?"

"You mean, the one who captured the Night Raid not to long ago?"

"The one who could use fire, right?"

"What's he doing here in a tournament like this?"

"Ah man, Kalbi's only going to get roasted."

"Isn't this cheating, he has an Imperial Arms?" As people began to talk more and more, Periwinkle who is inside the crowd began to worry about Flare. What she didn't know was that she was sitting next to Leone and Lubbock, who are Night Raid members.

"You hear that? Everyone's talking about Flare, like he' some kind of big shot." Lubbock hissed.

"I know. Isn't that cool?" Leone asked.

"No it isn't...!" Lubbock said out of jealousy.

"_I wonder, how Flare's taking this?" _Periwinkle thought.

Esdeath whom is sitting in a fancy chair on top of the balcony, and Run is standing next her. "Miss Esdeath, do you hear that?" Run asked. "It seems that this Flare fellow is one of the final contestants. And he appears to be young."

"Yes. We already have our winner." Esdeath said.

"The match hasn't even started yet. How do you know?" Run asked.

"I can tell," She said in a cold manner. "And now we just watch.

"So that's Flare in the flesh." Lubbock said.

"He looks handsome." Leone said honestly.

"Come on! You don't even know the bastard, how are you already calling him handsome?!" Lubbock acted jealous.

"Because, look at him. He's leagues of handsomeness far from you. Also, you're a pervert. "Leone said smiling.

"How's that even helpful?" Lubbock said mentally beaten down.

"So, you're this Flare I keep hearing about? I don't care who you are, you won't be able to stop the likes of me!" Kalbi said arrogantly. "Yes. That prize money is as good as mine! I was a level nine Black Belt in the Imperial Fist Temple until they kicked me out." He said pointing his hand towards himself.

"_This guy's not just all talk, he seems pretty strong." _Wave thought.

"_He may talk big all he want, but I can still sense him. He knows my reputation, and he's trying to turn that fear in that confidence. This guy is nothing, he's just another boar I hunted in the woods. And another thing, a Ninth degreed black belt means nothing if you got kicked out. Come to mention it, I gotta take Periwinkle to the Imperial Fist Temple to be strong." _Flare thought with a straight face.

"You may begin!" Wave yelled while swinging his hand down.

"Now you shall fear my wrath!" Kalbi yelled swing his fist downwards.

"_Yeah, I can beat this guy without Sunstrider." _Flare thought as he dodged by jumping into the air.

"_What?" _Kalbi thought as he missed, then he looked up to find himself being kicked in the side of the face by Flare. He then grrrd then started throwing a number of heavy fist at him only to be intercepted by Flare.

"_Not yet." _Flare thought as he's trying to find an opening. He then dodged an uppercut and found one. _"Now!" _he thought as he heavy punched Kalbi in the gut once causing him to groan and feel the pain.

Kalbi then clinched onto his stomach because of the pain. "Damn you!" Kalbi yelled putting his hands together and trying to slam them onto Flare, but missed.

"_This guy is in a whole other league!" _Kalbi thought before being uppercut in the air. Flare then jumped up within seconds and punched him in the gut, and wrapping it all up by kicking him in the side jaw with force causing Kalbi to crash into the out of bound walls. Kalbi was found passed out from the blows. Many people were shocked to witness what happened.

"He's Flare alright, but he didn't use his Pyrokinesis for some reason." Run said.

"Yes." Esdeath agreed

"And there you have it, Flare wins!" Wave yelled pointing at Flare.

The crowd started cheering for Flare, and Periwinkle started smiling with relief. Sayo and Ieyasu were already excited and hugged.

"Alright! He did it!" Sayo jumped from her seat.

"Yeah! That prize money is as good as ours!" Ieyasu also jumped from his seat.

Flare then looked at the crowd. "They're all cheering for me? This is Amazing!" Flare said with a pure innocent smile on his face. What he didn't know was that General Esdeath was watching, and ended up receiving her attention. She then blushed hard after witnessing his smile.

"It's time to bring him." Esdeath said getting up.

"Wait, you mean he's our eighth Jaeger member?" Run asked.

"Oh yes- that." Esdeath said, she rose from her chair and walked down the stairs. People began to stop cheering and started staring at Esdeath as she walked down the stairs.

"_Who's that?" Periwinkle_thought as she saw Esdeath.

"_Wait, why did everyone stop cheering?" _He then saw Esdeath walking down. _'__She's coming to the ring?' _he thought. Seconds later, she approached him face to face. She is a tall, slender woman. Matching long light blue hair that goes down to her ankles, and light blue eyes. She wears a white general's apparel with long black sleeves, a dark blue scarf around her neck and high white boots.

"Flare, is that right? I've heard plenty about you." She said.

"Well, yes." Flare replied. '_So, this is General Esdeath. The one's everyone's talking about. She can use Ice, just like I can use Fire.'_

"You put on an impressive show today."

_'_Too_ be honest, it hasn't even been a minute.'_ Flare thought.

"I've heard enough about you. And now for your reward." Esdeath said as she reached in her inner jacket.

"Thanks." He replied. '_No matter how much, money is money. Yeah, lay it on me." _Flare thought. Next thing he knew, there was a dog collar around his neck. "What's this?" he asked.

Esdeath gripped the leash and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Starting today, you'll be all mine." she said with no hesitation.

"What the-" Flare never finished his words due to being dragged by Esdeath elsewhere, while everyone is watching.

"Let's go chat where we can be alone, shall we? There's too many eyes here." Esdeath said dragging him.

"Wait a minute!" Flare struggled.

"Be a good boy." Esdeath hit his pressure point in the back of the neck.

"_What the… hell did you…" _Flare thought before passing out on Esdeath.

Esdeath than caught him and whispered into his ear. "You don't know how long I've been searching for you. Now we can talk in my chambers. Just the two of us." Esdeath said blushing with a smile. With the audience left being confused, Lubbock and Leone looked at each other shocked, so did Periwinkle.

"What the hell is going on?!" Lubbock yelled.


	8. Ménage à Trois

It was night time and the moon was out. Hours after Flare had won the tournament and ended up being knocked out. Flare had just woken up. He found himself sitting next to Esdeath on a cliff. "Where am I?" Flare asked as he just woke up.

"Good to see you had woken up," Esdeath said looking at Flare. "I apologize for the rudeness earlier, I just couldn't let anyone have you. Right now, you're an official member of the Jaegers. I suggest you watch and learn." She said looking at the Bandit's fortress.

As Flare saw, he looked closer and saw six people walking towards the fortress. One of them he recognized was Seryu. _'__That's Seryu!' _Flare spotted the group. _"Good. It looks like we both made it in." _Flare thought, then an alarm sounds at the fortress by one of the bandits. It wasn't long that the bandits strapped themselves and surrounded the Jaegers.

"You're pretty stupid to take us head on!" a bandit yelled.

"Koro. Phase Five!" Seryu yelled as she moved her right arm out, then Koro then grew big and bit Seryu's right arm. Then Seryu's arm turned into a giant Drill.

"_Whoa, what the hell! I never seen anything like it! What is that?" _Flare thought shocked.

"Kill them!" A bandit yelled as they charged towards the Jaegers.

"Enma's Spear of Justice!" Seryu yelled sanely while she charged and tore through the bandits with it. "Next." she said as she released the giant drill and Koro bit her arm again. This time she summoned a giant tank rifle from her right arm. "Phase seven!" She aimed at the fortress' gates. Taizan's Cannon of Justice!" she yelled sanely again while destroying the gates and the bandits around him.

"_I had no idea Seryu could do all that. Talk about OP."_ Flare thought.

Dr. Stylish chuckled from behind. "All those weapons are my fabulous creations. The hands of God, Perfecter. It increases the speed and precision of the user one hundred fold! Oh, I'm just loving this Imperial Arms!" Dr. Stylish yelled all excited.

"_Ok, that guy is starting to creep my out." _Flare thought with a creep face.

Kurome starts charging towards a dozen bandits, pulled out her blade and killed them with a dozen slashes at ease. "After this is over, I'll get to use you like precious little dolls." Kurome said with a smile.

_'Dolls_?_ Playing with corpses?" _he thought as he watched Kurome. Then he heard screams coming from a different direction and started looking that way. _"Wait. That's fire!" _he thought as he looked closer. He saw bandits being burned alive, screaming in agony.

"Purgatory Invitation, Rubicante!" Bols yelled out. "Sorry, just doing my job! Nothing personal." he added in a kind manner as he burned the bandits alive.

"_I get it now, he's using a flamethrower. A machine that shoots fire." _Flare stated as he looked at his hand. _"But it's not like my fire."_ Then he spotted wings in another area. "_What's that?" _Flare then spotted Run in the air.

Run the summoned razor sharp feathers from his wings to kill the bandits in one blow. One of the bandits was hit in the head. Before he died, he saw Run in the air "An Angel." The bandit said before collapsing.

"Thousand-Mile Flight, Mastema!" Run yelled. "Sorry. I just can't let you walk away." Run said putting them to rest.

"_So that guy can fly and use Angel Wings." If we had fought, I wouldn't really know who'd win." _he stated. _"I still don't know about the guy in blue. Maybe he has something up his sleeve." _He thought as he looked at Wave. He then watched the Jaegers walk through the fire like a bunch of badasses.

"Flare. Soon you'll be doing that too. So, what did you think?" Esdeath asked.

"The Jaegers really are… amazing." Flare responded.

"I see you like them now. That's good. From now on, I'm going to train you." Esdeath said.

"Thanks, I couldn't have asked for anyone better. I personally want to be stronger with my Imperial Arms." Flare said smiling.

Esdeath blushed again. "I'm not like all the rumors say I am." Esdeath said putting her hand on her chest. "Some time ago, I've started to experience… love." Esdeath stated.

"Really? What made you feel that way?" Flare asked.

"That. I do not know. I believe it's just a gut feeling." Esdeath couldn't help but blush.

* * *

Later on that night in the palace, Flare found himself in Esdeath's bedroom. Esdeath is busy taking a shower in her bathroom, and Flare is sitting on her bed. '_Things really gotten hot and heavy. I wasn't planning on this. Is sleeping together apart of relationships?' _he thought to himself. As he heard the door open, he looked and saw Seryu, whom had walked in and closed the door behind her. "S-Seryu?"

"Flare, good to see you. Did you see me wipe out evil tonight?" she asked.

"Of course I did. I had no idea you could manifest that many weapons," he couldn't help but wonder about her weapons. "Seryu? What did you do to your arms? It's like when Koro bites you, you were able to summon these giant weapons."

"Oh. The doctor did it. The night after we fought evil, I asked him if he could make me stronger, so he agreed. I had many body modifications done to my body and that's how I was able to summon weapons. I call them "Phases" for short." "I'm glad you noticed."

"So, what are you doing here?" Flare asked.

"I was invited by General Esdeath to come here tonight. Also... I came to do this." Seryu then started stripping from her clothes in front of the latter.

_'Really?! Right now?! But, Esdeath's in the bathroom! What if she sees this?' _Flare thought to himself heavily blushing and nervous.

"All done." Seryu said as she was in her undergarments a pair of pink panties and bra.

"Huh?" Flare asked.

Esdeath then left the showers in nothing but her long sleeved buttoned shirt leaving her upper chest exposed. "I see you two have already met. It's nice to see the both of you reuniting." Esdeath said as Seryu nodded.

"So, you already knew about us?" Flare asked confused.

"Why yes. After I took you away, Seryu told me everything. So we made a deal."

"What's the deal?"

"The deal was that we get to share you," Esdeath sat down on the bed next to Flare. "She even told me you weren't a virgin. I like someone with experience." She said smiling as she also glanced at him.

'_Oh boy...' _he thought in relief.

Seryu then walked up to Flare. "I hope you don't take this the wrong way, Flare. We're all Jaegers now. That means we'll be together forever."

"Are you thirsty?" Esdeath asked.

"Not really." He answered.

"You seem nervous." Esdeath noticed.

"To be honest, I am." Flare said nervously.

"Isn't he handsome, Seryu?" Esdeath asked Seryu.

Seryu nodded. "Mhmm." She blushed.

"Well, I don't know about these feelings. It'll all work out. Just let our bodies do the work." Esdeath said as Seryu pushed Flare onto his back side.

'_These two really do like me! I can see the Lust in their eyes.' _he thought as Esdeath then kissed his lips.

"You're probably thinking, do I like you? The answer is... yes." Esdeath said crawling on top of him than licked her lips and stared at him like he was food. "Seryu." Esdeath said as she knew what to do.

"Right." Seryu then proceeded to remove his pants and boxers revealing his dick. She then blushed hard at the size of his erected dick. "Oh wow." Seryu then poked it a couple of times and started rubbing the tip, causing me chills.

Esdeath then removed his shirt and started sucking on his neck. He is trying to resist moaning. Esdeath took the upper body and Seryu took the lower body. After a few seconds of rubbing, Seryu then started slowly giving him head, which started causing Flare to shudder. As I did, Esdeath would make sure I don't make a peep by connecting his mouth with hers. Their tongues fought in dominance. With the help of Seryu, Esdeath won.

Seryu started blowing faster which caused Flare to fold his legs around Seryu's head. She then grabbed and started massaging his testicles to make the mood better. Esdeath leaned up and removed her shirt revealing her large breasts. "Is this what you men like?" Flare blushed at the size of her breasts. Esdeath was completely nude.

"_I know Hana's were medium, but this? Good God!" _Flare thought as he stared at the size of Esdeath's breasts. Esdeath then took his left hand and placed it on her right nreast. He started squeezing on her breast which caused Esdeath to moan. "Feels good?" he asked.

Seryu stopped blowing and crawled on the bed. He saw her behind him, and she leaned her face towards his. She then started tongue wrestling with Flare upside down. During their wrestling session, Seryu then unclipped her bra and tossing it on the side of the bed. They stopped and Seryu showed her exposed breasts to him.

Esdeath then moved down towards his lower body where his dick is exposed, and Seryu sat him up, then hugged him from behind, rubbing her bionic hands over his torso. Esdeath grabbed his testicles which caused him to whelp. She gave him a sadistic smile and put her cold tongue on his dick and started sucking, causing him to shiver.

Seryu then started sucking on Flare's neck. _"Darn, this is too good! In a second, I'm about too—"_ before he could finish his thought, he uncontrollably came squirting semen on Esdeath's face.

"_So this is what cum is." _Esdeath thought. She then looked at him and once again smiled sadistically and licked some cum off her lips. _"Alright, let's about this." _She thought as she started massaging his dick with her own large breasts moving them up and down. Seryu then moved next to Flare. She then cupped his face and started kissing him. He then wrapped his arms around Seryu's back as he is teasing her nipples with his mouth.

"Does this feel good?" Esdeath asked Flare and he nodded while he stopped teasing Seryu's nipples. "Well." Esdeath said as she pushed Seryu closer towards Flare from behind. She then saw his dick left open and decided to position herself in a Reverse-Cowgirl style. She then lowered her bottom to stick it in her vagina. "_Now then." _Esdeath then quickly inserted his dick inside her vagina by moving down fast. As she went down, she could feel pain and at the same time pleasure, virgin blood was pouring down from her vagina onto Flare's testicle.

'_This Blood is cold!' _Flare thought as he felt her virgin blood on his dick. Seryu then got up standing over him. "_What's she doing?" _Flare thought as she took off her panties, revealing her bushless vagina. "_She has no hair!" _Seryu had positioned herself over him as she squatted closer to his face. Flare blushed as her second whole was very close. He then began starting to kiss her second whole area causing her to moan and grabbed her left breast. He hasn't forgotten about Esdeath, to make her feel better he slowly started moving in rhythm. Up and down, up and down.

'_So… this is what… sex… is like.' _Esdeath thought while bottom stroking. She started to moan even louder. Seryu started getting hot at the moment. "Don't stop. Please, don't stop…" Seryu said while panting with pleasure on her face. Flare then used his tongue and found his way in her clit causing her to silently scream.

"I'm gonna… what's it called?" Esdeath asked while stroking. Flare's dick has gotten to the point where he reached up her uterus, causing her to begin to have an orgasm.

"Cum." Seryu answered panting.

"Yes, that." Esdeath said seconds before doing so. They both came releasing their semen. Her walls were shattered. Esdeath then ejected herself from Flare's member to rest a little on the side of the bed. Flare then took Seryu from her bottom then changed positions. He laid her on her back leaning over her. "Please be gentle." Seryu said while blushing and looking down.

"Okay." He leaned towards her breasts started teasing them. His mouth was sucking her left nipple, and his left hand was massaging her right breast. Seryu started moaning again enjoying the pleasure of his work. He started kissing and sucking each her breasts and started kissing down to her vagina. He opened up her thighs and spotted her womanhood. "Um… Flare?" she said catching his attention. "It's a really sensitive place. Please don't go rough, okay?" Seryu asked blushing.

Flare smiled. "I'll do my best." He said before diving in there. Flare started kissing and licking her womanhood, which caused Seryu to flinch. Seryu grabbed onto the bed with her bionic hand and held as tight as she could. She tried to resist the pleasure, but it was too much where she tried not to squirm. _"This is too good!" _she thought trying to resist.

Flare than sat up and pinned her shoulders. "Are you sure you want this?" he asked Seryu, which she slowly nodded to. With her permission, he slowly inserted his member inside her vagina. Seryu screamed and Flare noticed the tears in her eyes from the pain. He felt her insides tighten around his member. He leaned towards her and started kissing the tears streaming down her cheeks. He kissed her lips so that no one could hear her scream. She kissed him back to his surprise. She leaned her back forward and pressed her body onto his. _"Here we go…" _He then started stroking and moving in rhythm.

"F-flare…" Seryu stuttered as she wrapped her bionic arms around his neck, and twisted her legs around his hips. "Make me yours!" She begged before sinking her teeth into his shoulder to endure the inner pain.

Flare cringed, feeling her teeth into his neck. '_She's really trying to endure this!' _Flare thought as he sensed her Qi. He knew that Seryu could barely take it any longer. He started moving a little faster so they could climax faster. "I… I'm going to cum!" Flare yelled as he's stroking. Seryu then let go of her teeth in his shoulders. "So am I!" Seryu yelled. They climaxed together inside of her vagina which gave her a big orgasm. Some of the juices was being released from her vagina. Seryu leaned onto her side and started panting lightly. Flare gently ran his finger down her left leg. "Oh Flare, That tickles!" Seryu started giggling after feeling Flare's touch.

Seryu flipped herself over on her stomach while her ass is fully exposed. Flare torched up his hands with harmless flames and ran them down her backside. As he did, Seryu started moaning again. He leaned his face downwards to her soft ass cheeks and started pecking it softly with his lips causing her to moan a little louder. He loved the sound of her smooth voice. Seryu lifted her body upwards and her ass in the air and spread her legs for him. Flare knew what she wanted him to do next, so he wasted no time using his hand and rubbed her vagina. Seryu's body started to shiver as he felt his tongue tasting her clit. She clutched onto the sheets of the bed.

He positioned his member facing her vagina again and made one big thrust inside of her whole, causing her head to jump her mouth open and her watered eyes looking upwards. Seryu bent over and stood in doggy style position. Minutes had passed as Flare thrust inside of her. He had continued to thrust multiple times until he stop for a brief second. A stream of tears poured from her eyes and for small orbs of sweat had formed across her body. Flare paused as he started to feel it coming closer. He felt like coming again. Seconds later, Flare had came, but had no idea Seryu had came a well.

Seryu's body was pinkish red and she panted heavily. Being unable to move at the moment. She licked her lips so they won't become dry. "Hah... hah..." she continued to pant. Flare saw her body aching from the sex, so he quickly picked up Seryu and lied her on the bed tucking her in the sheets and placing her head on a pillow. Seryu's eyes met his. "I... love you... Flare."

"Well then, I love you too." Flare smile as he panted a little.

"My love." Seryu said blushing and smiling at him before briefly passing out.

Flare stated while panting. He then felt a hand on his shoulder. "You haven't forgotten about me, have you?" Esdeath asked smiling.

"N… no." Flare said while panting.

"Come." Esdeath got out of bed and walked towards the bathroom door. "Are you going to keep me waiting?" she asked then told him to come over with a finger. He left Seryu by herself, sleeping and followed Esdeath towards the bathroom. Esdeath turned on the showers, grabbed a blue soap bar and started washing her body with it.

_'She's so pretty.'_ Flare blushed as he stared at her figure. She caught him staring at her.

"My my, I'm flattered how you think I'm beautiful, you don't have to stand there and watch." she said with a slight blush. "Here." She tries to hand him a soap bar, but then it slipped from her finger nails and fell on the wet floor. "Oops, it seems that I dropped the soap." She said.

"Here, I'll get it." Flare said getting on one knee trying to pick it up.

"_You are such a gentlemen." _She thought. "!" Esdeath then noticed the markings of Ashburning Sunstrider on his back. "Flare?"

"?" he turned his head towards her.

"That marking on your back. Is that the symbol your Imperial Arms?" she asked.

"I guess. I've had this as long as I can remember." Flare said honestly.

"Hmm. Hold still. I want to try something. Stay still." Esdeath moved towards him and pressed her chest towards his backside. As they connect markings for the net couple of seconds, nothing really happened. "That's odd, nothing's really happe-" Esdeath then felt a powerful surge throughout her body.

"You okay?" Flare then felt the same surge throughout his body. Then out of nowhere, Aura starts to become visible and surrounded the duo. Esdeath had a sadistic dark bluish aura while Flare had a bright orange aura.

"This... is Aura." Esdeath said as she looked at the aura surrounding her body.

"Do you think it's because we connected somehow?" Flare asked.

"Perhaps." Esdeath said. "This... Energy. I feel like I'm growing stronger by the second." Esdeath said smiling.

"So am I." Flare said.

**ELEMENTAL-TYPE BOND**. When two Elemental-Type Imperial Arm users contact their markings together, they feel a power surge within their bodies and can take their limits to new heights. This is the first time two Elemental-Type users have connected. Flare and Esdeath can grow even stronger due to them bonding.

"So, now what?" Flare asked.

"Now..." she turned him around and shoved him into her exposed bosom. "Now that we're alone we can take each other to the next level!" she suggested. "You've made me so happy today!" she said excited.

"I'm happy you feel that way." Flare said smiling.

Esdeath then blushed at his smile again and kissed him. They began to tongue wrestle. As always, Esdeath won. She pressed him against the floor and climbed over him. They stared at each other for a matter of seconds and their blush were completely visible to each other. They quickly connect hands and Esdeath connected her chest towards his. They quickly connected hands and started making out on the floor. Minutes later, they both sat up but Flare was leaning against the wall. Esdeath took her breasts and started massaging Flare's dick with them. "You like that, don't you?" Esdeath asked teasing him.

Flare nodded. Esdeath had kept massaging his member for at least five minutes, until he came onto her her face and breasts again. "Mm." she licked the cum off her lips and stood up. Flare then got up grabbed Esdeath and slowly moved her towards the glass wall. He grabbed her by her hips and turned her around facing the glass wall to make it where breasts are pressing towards the glass. Esdeath has placed her hands on the glass, and Flare had positioned his member to penetrate her second whole.

"Do it." Esdeath ordered. He then inserted his dick in with one rough stroke. Causing her to gasp. He started moving in a fast pace. Esdeath started to moan in pleasure. "_That's it. Keep going. Right there." _she thought with pleasure on her face. As her hands are on the glass, she started freezing it.

Minutes later "I'm about to-" Flare had came in Esdeath's second whole.

"That feels good." Esdeath said. He then turned her around with her back facing the wall and lifted her up this time positioning his member for her second whole. "Yes... yes..." Esdeath moaned letting a few words out. He then thrust deeply which caused her to silently scream. He started thrusting causing her to shake up and down. Esdeath thought it was too much, so she wrapped her legs around him and drove her nails into his back.

A few minutes had passed and Flare carried Esdeath and placed gently placed her on the back. He lied her on her back and immediately crawled over her. The two elemental users quickly connected one of their hands and Flare quickly thrust. "Ngh!" Flare tried to endure the pain of her cold nails. He kept thrusting until his hot member felt something inside of her. It was soft and very organic. It was her womb. He made it all the way to her womb. Esdeath was moaning out of control now. "_I think I've pushed her to her limits. I have to finish this." _Flare thought as he kept thrusting.

"Flare. I... can take it... I know I can." Esdeath said panting uncontrollably.

Minutes later. "I'm going to cum!" Flare yelled.

"So am I... Flare. Give it all you got!" Esdeath yelled. Seconds later, they finally climax together giving all they had. They were both exhausted. Before Esdeath had forgotten, she turned off the sprinklers. Next thing they know, they're back in Esdeath's bed. Seryu's still sleeping, and Flare was lying in the middle.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I look to see Seryu who is barely awake. "Can we do this again, just the two of us?" Seryu asked panting

"Of course we can." he said smiling. "Did you liked it?" he asked Seryu.

"I love you." Seryu then pecked his lips. "You're an amazing guy. I never want to leave your side. "Seryu said blushing.

Flare then chuckled. "I have the two of you to thank for it." Flare stated.

"Yes. I enjoy having a round two in the future with you, Flare." Esdeath said smiling.

"I couldn't agree more." Flare took on her challenge. Esdeath then gave him another kiss to his lips. The two ladies then laid their heads on his chest falling to sleep.


	9. Hunter and Sailor

The next morning was another Sunny day. The birds were chirping, and the weather was about normal. Flare had woken up. '_What a night.' _He thought to himself as he looked around at his surroundings then looked at the two ladies that love him. He smiled to himself as he glanced at the two female Jaegers. _'I c__an't believe I'm the luckiest bastard around.' _He thought as he sat up. He didn't want to wake them up, so he left the bed as quiet as he could.

Minutes later, Flare had taken a shower solo. While in there, he couldn't help but think of Periwinkle. _"I hope Periwinkle's okay. I remember us having a discussion joining the tournament. The last time I saw her was in the audience. Where could she be now? I hope she didn't go back to the streets.' _Flare was worried about her, he wanted to go find Periwinkle throughout the day.

Ten minutes after showering he had put on his clothes to get ready for the day. "All dressed." He said after putting on his brown boots and left Esdeath's room, leaving the ladies still sleeping under the sheets. He then walked in the long Imperial halls. "So this is the palace halls. It's very long." He saw the paintings and the art on the ceiling. "I've never seen anything like this before." He then opened the door and walked into one of the dining rooms where he found a long empty table. He walked up to it and slid one his fingers across the fancy marble table.

"Ah, there you are," Flare heard an unfamiliar voice. He heard the door open and saw two guys walking towards the dining room. One guy had matching dark blue spiky hair and eyes. He was wearing a blue leather jacket, under it was a white T-shirt with a red scarf. He also had gray jeans and dark blue boots, and he carries a weird blue sword. His name is Wave. The other guy had wavy blonde hair and golden eyes. As for accessories, he has a white feather in his hair and a white collar on his neck. He wore a black shirt with a white robe over it, also with white long boots. His name is Run. "It's nice to see you awake."

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Flare asked.

"Oh right, please forgive my rudeness. I am Run." Run introduced himself.

"I'm Wave, by the way. We met before." Wave stated.

"We have?" Flare asked confused.

"Yes, remember the Tournament yesterday? I was the official."

Flare looked back to the day before when he was fighting Kalbi, and remembered Wave with a microphone. "Oh yeah, I'm starting to remember you. I'm Flare." He offered Wave a hand.

"Nice to meet you, Flare. I hope we can all get along." Wave said smiling as he grasped Flare's hand.

"Indeed." Run said.

"What's going on in here?" Flare heard another voice coming from the door. Another person opened the door and walked in the room. It was a girl with matching twin-pointy black hair and eyes. She was wearing a modern black sailor shirt with a red tie, and a black skirt with partial red on the side. She has a red belt that carries her Imperial Arm Yatsufusa at her side. She had long black stockings with short black shoes. "Move it." The girl shoved Wave out the way and walked to the table with a bag filled with goodies in her left hand and she used her right hand to wipe her eyes.

"That was rude, Kurome." Wave said.

"Whatever, I'm tired. So leave me alone." Kurome took a seat. Flare couldn't help but stare at her for a moment. Something about Kurome gave him chills. She opened one eye and saw him staring at her, then pulled her cookie bag closer towards her in a protective manner. "Don't touch my cookies!"

"_That's… just weird." _Flare thought awkwardly.

"Is there a problem?" Kurome asked.

"No. Matter of fact, I can see some kind of resemblance between you and that Akame, girl." Flare remembered back when he was assigned with Seryu, he saw Akame's wanted poster. "Are you two related?" Flare asked.

"You're right, I can see the resemblance too." Wave noticed.

"First of all, that's none of your business. And yeah, that pretty goody two-shoes is my older sister. We went through a lot together. Now she's a traitor to the Empire. When I run into her again, I'll make regret the day she left me and turn her into one of my dolls so we could be together forever." Kurome said in a dark tone.

"_I can sense her aura. It's dark. She's serious about killing her sister."_

"Wait, that's still your sister!" Wave argued.

"Yeah, and?" Kurome looked at Wave. "That doesn't to me anymore, now that she's a traitor. If you defect, you must die. Those are the rules." Kurome stated as she took a bite of a cookie.

"Can I ask you something?" Flare asked Kurome.

"You already asked me a question, so what is it?" Kurome replied.

"If I were to encounter Akame in the future, I need to know how powerful she is." Flare said.

Kurome sighed. "Fine, pay attention because I'm only going to say this once." She said holding up a finger. "First of all, she's fast. She's strong. And if you get cut by her blade, you'll die instantly." Kurome said in a fast pace and took a bite of one of her cookies.

"_What kind of Information it that?!" _Flare and Wave thought shocked.

"Oh, there's one more thing I must tell you," Kurome got up from the table. "If you do somehow manage to pin down Akame, give me the final blow. And if I find out you somehow killed my sister without giving me a chance to do so, or if you EVER defect from the Empire, I will not hesitate to kill you and turn you into my doll." Kurome said slightly tilting her head with a dark smile on her face.

'_I get it, it's a family thing. If this is Kurome, I can't even imagine what Akame is like.' _Flare thought as he understood Kurome.

Another person walked opened the door. He had a white mask on with black marks over the eyes. He has a supposed six pack with a slash scar on his chest, he also wore matching long armed sleeves and white pants covered wrapped with belts. He also had brown boots. His name is Bols. "Hello everyone."

"Morning Bols." Wave said.

Flare stared at the man for a few seconds. "You must be our new recruit, Flare. Hi, I'm Bols. Don't let the mask fool you." Bols said.

"Yeah, don't let him fool you. He got me once I felt bad at first." Wave said embarrassed.

"I'm from the from the Incineration Squad. I heard you can generate fire from your body. I hope we can get along." Bols said holding his hand out.

"Okay." Flare shook his hand.

Another man opened the door and walked in the room. He had spiky black hair with partial white hair, he wore a yellow suit, a blue buttoned shirt with white spots, a yellow tie, brown shoes, and a large white lab coat. His name is Dr. Stylish. "What is all that noise about?" Dr. Stylish asked while rubbing his head. "Can't a scientist get some sleep around here?" he said looking at everyone, then pointed his attention towards Flare. "Oh. So you must be the Prince Charming who swept my dear niece Seryu off her feet. By the look of it, you're just too adorable by far!" Dr. Stylish said as he walked towards Flare.

"I don't think I follow you." Flare said.

"I'll polish you up in no time, soldier." Dr. Stylish then winked at him.

"O-okay." Flare said with a straight face. _"GET THIS GUY AWAY FROM ME!" _he thought as hid his terrified face to make a first impression.

"_Yep. I know exactly how you feel." _Wave thought.

He walked up to Flare "So how about it, why don't you show me that magnificent power of yours!" Dr. Stylish said.

"Right now?" Flare asked.

"Of course, I am DYING to see your Imperial Arms." Dr. Stylish said eagerly.

"Yeah, show us your Imperial Arms." Wave said.

"Alright, if that's the case…" Flare got up from the table. "I'll do it."

The other Jaegers moved to one spot and watched closely. No one made a sound. Flare brought his hands together and ignited fire from them. "Marvelous!" Dr. Stylish yelled. "Here, come with me. I want you to do some tests." Dr. Stylish said as he walked up to Flare.

"Wait Doctor, we can't go right now, we're supposed to have a meeting. We're all just waiting on Seryu, and General Esdeath." Wave stated.

"That's odd. Seryu would usually appear before I do and throw roses on the floor. I wonder, what could she be doing right now?" Dr. Stylish wondered.

"And that goes for General Esdeath. It's not like her to be late." Bols stated.

The other Jaegers looked at the door while Flare just remembered that he slept with both females. Flare started blushing. _"What did I just do? I can't tell them that I fucked the General! What would they think of me now?!" _Flare thought in a nervous state.

"Sorry we're late. Seryu and I were just having a discussion." Esdeath stated as she and Seryu had just walked in the room fully dressed. Seryu had on a normal face and Esdeath had on a serious face.

"General Esdeath." Bols said clapping his hand together. "Wsdeath said.

"Wait, just the four of us? "Wave asked." But all eight of us are here." He also stated.

"Yes. The four of us. We'll be going there to hunt bandits and Danger Beasts." Esdeath stated.

"Flare, Wave, Kurome, and I. We will be paired in twos. Flare and Wave will partner up and take the West region throughout the day, while I partner up with Kurome and take the East region... then we'll switch throughout the night, so Flare with be partnered with me. Esdeath explained. '_The monster that we're hunting are vicious. This will be my chance to show Flare what I can do as a general.'_ She thought hiding her true affections for and winked Flare.

"General Esdeath, what about the rest of us?" Dr. Stylish asked.

"You can do whatever you want, but just don't get reckless around the palace, or you will be punished." Esdeath stated.

"Right!" The other Jaegers stated

'_Esdeath winked at me. I guess I can't let the others know about our relationship.' _Flare thought as he looked at his fellow teammates.

* * *

A few hours later, Flare and Wave are walking on a road on the side of a hill on Mt. Fake. They are far from the capital from the countryside. The sun is shining, and the weather is cool.

"Hey, Flare?" Wave called his attention while still walking. "I never thought of before now, but it seems like you have it kinda smooth."

"Smooth?" Flare asked while turning his head.

"Yeah. Unlike me, you pretty much got along with most of the team in less than a day. Except with Kurome with her death threats, and General Esdeath knocking you out of course."

"I get it. You don't have to say anymore." Flare kept walking forward, until he felt some nearby Danger Beast's aura. "Eh?"

"Alright, we can share each other's pain and use this as experience, and-" Wave said confidentally, until he saw Flare stop like a statue.

"Flare, you alright?" Wave asked.

Flare gave him the eye stare, trying to tell him that there's a Tree Beast behind him, but Wave doesn't get the message. "What are you doing?" Wave asked in confusion.

'_Screw it.' _Flare then charged into Wave's direction. Wave screams thinking that Flare was attacking him.

"Ah!" Wave screamed, thinking that Flare was about to attack him.

"Look out!" Flare said ran past him and slicing a Tree Beast diagonally in half.

"Thanks for that." Wave sighed. "For a minute, I thought you were—"

"I know, you can thank me after this is done. Right now we need to clear off this road." Flare said calmly.

"What?" Wave pulled out his blue sword. Out of nowhere, countless Tree Beasts surrounded the two males in seconds. "They keep coming out of nowhere. They don't look edible like the ones on the Coasts. I didn't even sense them." Wave stated.

"They could probably hide their presence and disguise themselves as regular trees." Wave and Flare moved themselves back to back "You ready?"

"Yeah, let's wipe these suckers out!" Wave shouted before charging in. As the two men swung their blades, slicing and dicing, over and over again. They both felt like it was some kind of hobby.

'_Whew. This feels like Lumberjacking.' _Flare thought as he stabbed a Tree Beast in the center of the eye. Minutes later, Flare and Wave had killed all of the Tree Beasts.

"Phew, that was a close one." Wave then wiped the sweat off his face. "But that wasn't too tough. You okay, Flare?" he asked looking back at Flare's direction.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Flare replied.

"By the way, I've been wondering about something," Wave faced Flare. "Why didn't you use your fire powers?" he asked in concern.

"I guess I wasn't thinking of it. Plus, I usually don't use my Imperial Arms in public." Flare answered.

"I see." Wave said rubbing his hand behind his back and looked to the bright blue sky. They kept walking until they made it all the way to the top of a mountain which took them a few minutes to climb. "Looks like we made it. to the top."

"Yep. I don't sense any Danger Beasts around, so we're in the clear her." Flare looked around the area, only to see lots of more rocks and a river streaming from far below.

Wave sighed. "I guess there's nothing left to do, but wait for the signal." he sat down.

"I guess you're right." Flare lied on his back and begun sun bathing. An hour had passed, Flare and Wave had done absolutely nothing. Flare thought sunbathing would help, but the thing is that his energy is fully charged and that he is bored. "Hey Wave."

"Yeah?"

"When is it supposed to get dark? I'm getting bored."

"In about another five hours, I guess?"

Flare sighed then sat up. "Okay now, I feel like that's way too long. There has to be something we could do-" Before Flare could finish his words, a small green object had suddenly appeared right in front of them. As they looked down, they saw the object on the ground. "What's that?" Flare pointed at it.

As Wave had looked at it, he realized it was a hand grenade. "This is a-" Wave gasped and his eyes had suddenly widened in shock. Wave was in the military, so he knew what a hand grenade looked like. The thing that scared him in that moment, was that the grenade had no silver pin with it. At that moment, he knew the grenade was going to detonate. Wave stretched his right arm towards Flare, telling hum to run away. "Flare! Ru-"

The grenade went off before Wave could finish his sentence, causing the top of the rock to go boom and the two Jaegers to fall off on opposite side of the mountain. At the last second, Wave was able to cross his arms, so his face wouldn't take permanent damage. The two Jaegers fell off on each side of the mountain. Both Wave and Flare managed to land safely, but they both had minor injuries and scratches. They stare at the smoke on top of the mountain.

_'What the hell was that just now?' _Flare wondered.

_'Was that to separate us? If so, then who?'_ Wave pulled out Grand Chariot's key and gazed upon it. _'I can't worry about that now. I'm a Jaeger, so I need to be ready for what comes next!'_ Wave struck the ground with the key and yelled. "Grand Chariot!" As he did, large blue chains had circled around his body and a black and bule humanoid Danger Beast had appeared right behind Wave. Wave's pupils had changed from a normal circle, to a thin plus X pupil. Seconds later, Wave was coated in a suit of black and blue armor with a long white plate covering his backside. "Flare, I'm coming!"

"Not so fast!" said a masculine voice. Before Wave in his Grand Chariot armor could move and find Flare, he was stopped by Tatsumi, in a white suit of armor, whch happened to be Incursio. Wave glared at Tatsumi, knowing that Incursio belongs to Night Raid. Wave quickly took a fighting stance to fight the Incursio wielder Tatsumi.

"I know you... you're Night Raid!" Wave yelled, as he laid eyes on Tatsumi in Incursio armor.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the mountain, Flare only has a few scratches. It wasn't that big of a deal, due to his healing factor. _'I wonder, if Wave is okay?' _Flare wondered about Wave as he stared at the top of the mountain, then started walking towards Wave's energy. Until.

"Hello."

Flare stopped for moment as he heard a feminine voice. He suddenly sensed an aura that was dark and cold. He turned his head to the left to see a girl in her teens. The girl wore an attire that was mostly black. A short dark sleeveless mini dress that reveals her smooth legs and bare shoulders with a white shirt from under, a red tie, two red gauntlets, black gloves, a red belt where she carries Murasame on the side. She has long black hair that goes down to her knees, and blooded-red eyes. Just by looking at her eyes alone, Flare could tell she was in her own league.

_'It's her... Akame.' _Flare suddenly remembered back as he saw a wanted poster of Akame. Flare then thought back when he first saw the Night Raid posters with Seryu, then remembered what Father Christopher said. _'No way. She's part of Night Raid. Don't tell me she's here to avenge the one with the scissors.' _Akame stood before Flare with a calm look on her face.

* * *

**Author's Note: I decided to change some things in this chapter. How do you feel about Flare and Wave encountering Akame and Tatsumi?**


	10. Brief Discussion

Flare and Akame stood face to face with each other. Flare couldn't wrap his head around how to defeat her, better yet get away from her. Akame remained still with a calm face as she glanced upon Flare.

_'Akame. What is she doing here? And what does she want with me?' _Flare stood completely still for a matter of seconds, until Akame took a step forward, which caused Flare's body to jerk. As she was about to take another step, Flare reached his hand from behind and tried to grab his sword's hilt.

"Don't." Akame said, as she predicted Flare's move.

Flare paused as he heard her speak for the first time. He lowered his hand and brought it to his side. He felt something strange. He hadn't sensed any contempt, deadly vibes from the assassin. For some reason, he could feel that Akame's aura was calm and collective now. _'She's right. Even if I pull my sword out, she could easily kill me at anytime. My body isn't fast enough to react to her speed. I'm not sure if I could beat her on my own, at least not yet.' _He took a deep breath.

"Are you ready?" Akame asked.

"Why are you here?" Flare asked.

"There's something I wish to discuss with you. All I ask for is your ear." Akame said.

Meanwhile, Wave and Tatsumi are having a full on fist fight with one another. The two males were fully equipped Armor-Type Imperial Arms.

"You Night Raid trash! I will not allow you to take any of my comrades!" Wave yelled, as he threw a number of punches, leaving Tatsumi on the defensive.

_'I only have to stall him for a little while. Surely, Akame is handling her situation with Flare.' _Tatsumi blocked his hard punch. That last punch Wave threw left him wide open. _'Gotcha!' _Tatsumi threw a punch to Wave's gut, but noticed that Wave didn't even flinch. "What?" Wave then hit Tatsumi in the gut with force, sending him flying backwards to a boulder. As Tatsumi made impact, all the air in his stomach was pushed out, leaving Tatsumi gasping for it.

"Now that's what a real punch feels like." Wave commented.

"But how? I hit you with as much force as I could. How did my punch not work?" Tatsumi groaned and clutched his stomach as he slowly stood up, while leaning his back upwards on the rock.

"Oh? You don't know?" Wave asked, before mocking him. "Simple. Incursio is a prototype to my Grand Chariot! You don't have a chance in hell!" Wave pointed out. _'Change of plans. Killing a member of Night Raid is more important. I'm sorry, Flare. Please stay alive...' _he prayed as he took a fighting stance.

Meanwhile, Flare and Akame had started their conversation.

"Sheele? That's who you came here to talk about?" Flare asked.

"Yes. And once again, all I ask are for your ears." Akame repeated herself.

_'I don't know what she's really doing, she could be trying to get information out of me or trying to to buy time for something... At this rate, I can't beat her. It's like she's in a league of her own. The only thing I can do is open a conversation with her.' _Flare thought. "What about Sheele?"

"I want you to deliver something to her." Akame said.

"I don't know... that's is beyond my jurisdiction. She's in jail." Flare said.

"I know."

"Then why are you-" Akame threw a pair of thin glasses to Flare, which he caught then looked at. "This is..." he looked at the glasses. He remembered seeing Sheele with purple glasses. It was fixed, almost looked like it was brand new.

"It's fixed. I want you to give it to her when you have the chance."

"I don't know if I could give this to her."

"I'm sure you can." Akame smiled.

Flare sighed. "Fine, I'll do what I can. Now what else are you here for? I know you didn't come to deliver me some killer's glasses, and by your aura, I know you didn't come to kill me." he got to the point.

Akame took a moment. "Yes. I wanted to come talk to you in private, but this place will do." Akame looked around and they both can't sense any people or Danger Beasts around.

"What do you want to discuss?"

"What are your intentions?" Akame asked.

"My intentions?"

"That's right. You possess a powerful Imperial Arms that could even rival the Empire's higher-ups. An Elemental-Type that can control fire." She mentioned.

"What about it?"

"When you fought two of my comrades a while ago, you could've easily killed them. Am I correct?" she asked.

"You're a hundred percent correct. I could've easily killed them both. I could've claimed the reward and gain recognition and made myself known for murdering two Night Raid members. But I didn't. Back then, I wanted to prove that there were other ways to stop you people, than just killing..."

"So, you had Sheele imprisoned?"

"Yes. I rather see Sheele spend the rest of her life in jail, than spill a murderer's blood on my hands."

"I see... well, there's something I want to tell you, then." Akame walked closer to Flare.

Meanwhile, Wave who has the upper hand is standing over Tatsumi, whom had dropped his knees, coughing up saliva from the last punch he received from Wave.

"I read reports about you. You assassinate people at random. You disturb the peace in the capital. And worst of all, you work with the Revolutionary Army! You cold-blooded assassins shouldn't be allowed to live!" Wave yelled.

After hearing those words, Tatsumi clenched his jaw and his eyes were filled with fury. "Just shut up. What do you really know about us?"

"Huh?"

Tatsumi slowly stood up one foot at a time. "It's true that we've killed a number of people in the capital. But I... we're not..." Tatsumi suddenly visualized everyone in Night Raid. "We are not the bad guys!" he yelled. Suddenly, Tatsumi's body was surrounded by aura of rage.

"What's he doing?" Wave asked.

**_'It takes more than passion to stay alive, you know.' _**Bulat's words.

Tatsumi remembered the words of Bulat. _'Yeah, that's right.' _To Wave's surprise, Tatsumi jumped into midair, attempting to escape from the blue-haired sailor.

"Hey! Don't you dare run away!" Wave pursued to chase after Tatsumi.

_'I'm supposed to be stalling him. He can't hurt Akame if he's too busy chasing after me. Now I have to get back to the-huh?' _To Tatsumi's surprise, Wave jumped a few feet higher within the air, catching up with him.

"Well, if you won't fight me, then I'll bring the fight to you!" Wave yelled.

"Oh crap!" Tatsumi found himself in a pickle. He couldn't move his body within midair.

"Grand Fall!" Wave yelled, as he comes charging down with a powerful kick. Tatsumi has no choice but to block with his arms. As he does, his arms had taken the full force of the kick, causing his entire body to crash into a nearby river, which made a big splash. As Wave landed on the ground, he kept a close eye on the river. "That was a solid hit. I'm gonna stay on him. I can't let him use the water to escape. Wave waited for a brief moment for Tatsumi to tuck his head out of the water, but he never showed. "Wait, where did he go? Don't tell me, he used the current to swim away?" Wave then ran down, following the stream. "I'll find you, Night Raid!"

Meanwhile, Flare and Akame continue their conversation.

"I have told you enough for today. I must get going, now." Akame said.

"Hey, don't go yet! I still have questions!" Flare tried to reach out to the red-eyed assassin.

"They will have to wait..." Akame turned her back and faced the opposite direction of Flare. "One day, we'll talk more when we're on the same side." he watched her sprint away in fast speed.

"Dammit." Flare cursed himself for not asking more questions while talking to her. _'I gotta meet up with Wave and see if he's okay.'_

* * *

The next day, Wave was punished for letting Night Raid escape. He was stripped from his clothing except for his black boxers. He was under a traditional japanese method of torture where his hands were tied behind his back, he was on his knees, where his legs could feel the pain of sharpened wood from under, and three large cinder blocks weighed heavily on his thighs, causing his legs to hurt. Wave couldn't help but sweat and tear up. As this happened, Flare had to sadly watch Wave go through this kind of punishment.

"I don't know what else to say, except that I'm very sorry for what happened... General Esdeath, but please forgive me!" Wave pleaded.

Esdeath sat in a royal chair far above with contempt and disgust in her eyes, looking down at the humiliated Jaeger, with Kurome on her right and Run on her left.

"I'd forgive you if I could, but I can't overlook that a Night Raid member has escaped." Esdeath had disgust in her voice that it terrified Wave. "Kurome."

"Roger." Kurome dropped a single cinder block onto the three cinder blocks on top of Wave's thighs, causing the pain and stress get worse.

"Aaaargh!" he screamed.

"Wave, Wave, Wave. Your technique is impeccable, but it's worthless if you don't think. Correct this next time." Esdeath ordered from her royal chair.

"Yes ma'am." Wave responded.

"Oh and Wave? If you disappoint me again, I will be torturing you myself." Esdeath's blue eyes gleamed at Wave. "Is that clear?"

"Yes ma'am."

Seryu busted through the doors with Koro in her arms. She quickly soluted her General before speaking. "General, Koro hasn't tracked down the bad guys!"

"Hekatonkheires is built for combat. Not for tracking. Don't let that slip you mind." Esdeath stated. "Where's Dr. Stylish?" she asked with irritation in her voice.

"We haven't heard from him yet." Seryu responded.

"Well, I'm sure he's found nothing." Esdeath assumed.

Out of nowhere, Kurome walked over to Flare with a fake smile.

Flare was just dozing off into space until he saw Kurome in front of her. "What is it Kuro-ah!" Kurome started comically shaking Flare back in forth.

"What did I tell you about fighting Akame!" she asked in annoyance.

"You never said anything! You just told me to give you the final blow, that's all!" Flare said honestly.

* * *

Later that night, Dr. Stylish was walking in the woods with his three trust minions. The day before, Dr. Stylish decided to follow Flare to see if things were okay, but then he discovered Akame and decided to follow her along the way. But he couldn't think about why she wanted to talk to Flare so sudden, instead of killing him. "How precious that Akame tried to cover up her scent and footprints. But since I brought my enhanced soldiers, it won't do you any good. One guy has great eyesight and dressed like a less fashioned biker. One's a woman with large ears with super hearing, long green hair and a strapless swirly hair. And the other guy has a large duck nose with some kind of male stripper outfit. "Bingo!" Dr. Stylish snapped his fingers. "Peekaboo, Night Raid. I see you!" he yelled with excitement as he discovered Night Raid's base on the side of a hill.

* * *

**Author's Note: I still can't find a way to kill off Dr. Stylish on screen. XD**


	11. The Importance

Three days have passed since Flare had officially joined the special police force, the Jaegers. The past few days have been normal to Flare as he was able to go on missions again. Also, Dr. Stylish had been missing for a few days now, and no one know where he went. Little Periwinkle now lives in one of the most safest oprhange in the higher levels of the Empire. As promised, Flare is sending money to support his village.

Next thing he knew, he was in the courtyard with the rest of the Jaegers and their attention was on General Esdeath, whom had stood in front of her team.

"The weak dies and the strong survive," The Jaegers stood in the training halls, listening to every word Esdeath had to say. Seryu held Koro in her arms, Kurome ate cookies as she watched. "That is the lesson taught to me by my late father."

Kurome sighed. "We're talking about this now?"

"Kurome. This is important." Wave said in a quiet voice.

"Not too long ago, we had lost our doctor Stylish," Esdeath had informed her fellow teammates. A sad look had appeared on Seryu's face. "Let us assume that he spotted Night Raid and confronted them on his own. Even though I despise saying it about a comrade, but Stylish died a weak man."

Everyone stayed silent, including Seryu whom had looked up to the doctor. She wanted to speak on the doctor's behalf, but feared that she would only be shunned. Esdeath lifted up a finger.

"The first mistake the doctor made was not reporting back to his comrades. After you complete a mission, or if you spot something suspicious, you should always tell your superiors the situation," She raised another finger in the air. "The second mistake he made was going after Night Raid alone. You should never do everything by yourself. You all have each other as comrades, and we should be working together."

'She isn't wrong.' Flare thought as he listened.

"Seryu once told me that when she and Flare encountered Night Raid, they work in no more than in doubles or triples. Teamwork is extremely important," She then raised a third finger. "And finally, the doctor's third mistake was underestimating his enemies. It's true that Night Raid are assassins, but they are very strong. They are being lead by Najenda, a former general and a traitor to the Empire."

"Excuse me, General Esdeath?" Kurome called.

"Yes, Kurome?"

"Is this lesson you're giving us really about teamwork? That we're going to have each other's backs from now on?" he asked.

"Why yes. It is. Thank you for bringing that up," Esdeath then drew out her silver rapier from her sheath. "Today, we will be pairing off. Facing each other in combat. To know your enemy is to face them in combat," Kurome rolled her eyes. "Sparring with one another in combat. In order to be ready for anything, we must train for everything. Those who are not fighting, watch and learn."

"Roger that." The group said.

She looked at Flare. "Flare. Please step forward."

Flare stood forward like she asked and pulled out his signature sword. The two pointed their swords at one another and began to take their stances. Esdeath wielded her rapier in her left hand, and Flare used both hands to grip the hilt.

"Shall we dance, good sir?" Esdeath tease.

"Alright. I'll dance with you, General." Flare replied, acting formally.

'How romantic. They're about to dance in the art of justice!' Seryu grinned happily.

Esdeath smiled at him. "Hmph."

"Hagh!" Flare grunted as he dashed towards her, making the first move. Their weapons clanged at they first made contact. Esdeath did not budge a single inch. Esdeath stood in one spot, as she easily blocked his strikes.

'She's taking all of my strikes, and she hasn't even budged!' Flare grunted as he locked swords with her. Flare quickly caught a glimpse of her feet. He tried sweeping her legs with his foot, but Esdeath was too quick. She saw the short glimpse in his eye and jumped a few inches away from the lad.

"Trying to take my legs while locking swords, are you?" Esdeath smirked. "Clever."

As the two Elemental-Type users continue to clash and lock swords, Bols had get excited. "Oh, this is getting romantic." He said as he put his hands together.

Wave looked at Bols. "How?"

"You see, Wave. As they continue to clash swords with another, they are developing a bond for fighting. If you look closely, you can see that they're both having fun and enjoying it at the moment." Bols explained.

Wave saw that they were both smiling as they spar. "Oh, I get it now."

Esdeath switched sword stances and was now on the offense as she swung upwards, causing Flare's arms to fly upwards, leaving Flare open and his torso vulnerable. Esdeath thrusted forward at his chest, he knew he couldn't dodge fast enough.

"Heh." Esdeath smirked as she switched battle tactics and swept his feet, causing him to fall on his back. She attempted to strike downwards at him, but Flare was too quick as he rolled out the way from the rapier and attempted to swing at her again. Esdeath jumped back, avoiding the swing and created a gap between them. He quickly jumped back up to his feet and took another stance.

"My, my. You're quick on your feet."

"And you're really good with a sword." Flare complimented.

A smile of confidents appeared on Esdeath's face as she heard his words. "Let's say we take this up a notch, shall we?" she stretched her arms out wide and summoned ice daggers.

'She can create ice from thin air?'

Esdeath fired a dozen ice daggers towards Flare, whom was dodging and encountering some of them with his sword, even while being grazed. In that case… I guess it's okay to use my powers as well.' He sucked up as much air as he could into his mouth and then released the flames, shooting it like a dragon towards Esdeath.

Esdeath gasped as she saw the flames coming a mile away, then placed her hands on the ground. The ground she touched had frozen. She quickly summoned a small ice dome to protect herself. As his flames melted her dome away, the heat caused the ice to melt and created a fog surrounding the entire training hall. The Jaegers had a hard time seeing what was happening. Flare, whom was still in the fog was trying to sense Esdeath's presence.

'She has to be around here somewhere…' he tried sensing her energy, but he could feel it's kind of faint. It didn't do him any good, so he tried sensing her out with QI. 'I can sense her QI now. She's close. Wait—she's too close!'

Suddenly, Esdeath appeared behind him like a monster or an assassin hidden in the dark.

Flare gasped as he knew where she was. Right behind him.

"I can't see anything!" Wave pointed out, then tried moving around to find the others. "Hello? Anybody there? Hello!" as Wave walked around, he accidentally stepped on someone's foot.

"Ow!" Kurome yelled.

"Kurome?"

"You stepped on my foot, idiot!" Kurome roughly elbowed Wave in the gut hard.

"Oof! That hurts, Kurome." Wave groaned in pain, as he grabbed his stomach.

"Seryu! Are you there?" Bols called out.

"Right here, Mr. Bols!" Seryu answered.

"Bark!" Koro barked.

Bols turned his head and looked to see Bols next to him. "Good. Run? Are you there?" he then called out to Run.

"I'll handle this fog right away. Mastema!" Run used Mastema to fly into midair and used his wings to blow away the fog like a fan.

"Who won?" Seryu asked as the fog cleared.

As the fog cleared, the Jaegers had looked and saw Esdeath was standing over Flare with her rapier pointing near his face. Flare had lost the battle. Esdeath offered him a hand up, and he accepted.

"That did not go as planned." Flare said as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Well done. You're getting better at your swordsmanship. And you've managed to last far longer this time." As Esdeath said that, Seryu giggled.

"Oh my…" Bols said, as he realised. Wave was confused, Kurome suddenly looked away, and Run said nothing.

"Oh my…" Bols said.

Esdeath looked at her other subordinates. "In training, of course. Also, did you know that Flare's really good when it comes to se-"

"G-general!" Flare yelled, feeling a little embarrassed.

Esdeath smiled as she saw the peach fuzz on his face. She decided to stay silent, respecting Flare's wish not to tell. She then turned to the others. "Alright, who's next?"

* * *

Hours later after sparring practice, Flare was walking in the halls alongside Run.

"Some day it was today."

"I agree. I guess we all needed a bit of motivation to get stronger, right Flare?"

"Well, yeah. You can say that again." Flare answered.

"With our newfound bonding as a team, it is possible that we could eliminate Night Raid." Run stopped walking.

'Night Raid, Night Rai-' Flare stopped and gasped. "Hey."

"What is it, Flare?" Run asked.

Flare then remembered Akame passing him Sheele's glasses. "Whatever happened to that woman in purple?" Flare asked.

"Oh, you mean Sheele of Night Raid?"

"Yeah. Me and Seryu fought her awhile back and she almost killed me. I was just wondering, where she was?"

"She is currently in jail right now. The higher ups have yet to figure out her punishment." Run explained. "Why? What's the matter?"

"I think… that I'm gonna go talk to her." Flare said, surprising Run.

"But why? She's apart of Night Raid." Run asked.

"I know. Trust me, I won't do anything crazy. I just have to ask her some questions."

"Are you sure you want to do this? If you are seen talking to a Night Raid, the Empire will assume you're working with them and the-" Run suddenly paused.

"What's wrong?" Flare then turned his head to see Seryu sitting in a garden, alongside Koro polishing her large tank rifle. "Run, I'll catch you later." he told Run before running towards Seryu.

"Okay." Run said before walking elsewhere.

Meanwhile, Flare is running towards Seryu to see her polishing her weapons. "Seryu!" he called.

Seryu gasped as she heard Flare's voice. "Flare?" she thought she was just hearing things, so she went back to polishing her weapon.

"Seryu!" he called again.

She heard his voice again and this time, she turned around and looked. Koro barked meaning he was here. "He's here?" she asked.

"Seryu, there you are." He finally caught up to her. She couldn't believe it. The love of her life was there when she needed him the most. Her eyes started watering. "F-Flare." Seryu stuttered and tears began to roll down her cheeks. "He's gone… the doctor… he's gone!" Seryu began squeeze herself to try to prevent herself from crying. "My parents… Captain Ogre… now Dr. Stylish! They're all gone! Killed by the same filth that ruined this capital!" she had begun to sob.

"Seryu." Flare said with a worried face.

"Flare. I don't think I can take it anymore… I just want to destroy them all!" Seryu yelled. "Eh?" Within seconds, Flare quickly hugged Seryu from behind. His arms across her stomach and he leaned her back, which is making contact with his upper chest. "Flare, you…" she had begun to say.

"It's going to be alright. I know how you feel," he said as he comforted her. "I'm not going to let anyone take my comrades, especially you. I'll protect you no matter what. I promise."

"Thank you… Flare. You're the only one who keeps me sane," she said calming down. She then placed her right hand on his arm that's hugging her. "I love you… Flare. I want to be by your side… forever." Seryu said as she snuggled up to him with a smile. Flare smiled back, then looked at the sky, knowing that the sun would set in a couple of hours.

* * *

Later that day before sunset, Flare had done what he had told Run. Flare had snuck within the Imperial prison without anyone noticing him. After closing himself in, he knew that there were a lot of things that were dark.

Flare ignited a torch in one of his hands, so there could be a light in the dark halls. He then walked down a dark path, roaming through the Imperial Palace chamber halls. The halls were dark, a stench laid heavily as he walked deeper and deeper within the halls, as if it was a maze. He kept roaming up and down floors.

_'I don't sense any guards around, so I must be in the clear.' _Flare thought as he looked left and right and couldn't sense any guards or executioners. "Rgh." Flare grunted and used his other hand to cover his nose. _'Something smells really bad down here! I must be getting closer to the prisoners.' _Flare stumbled upon a massive room, which happens to be the torture chamber. It was dark, like the rest of the Imperial prison.

"There has to be a light switch somewhere." Flare muttered as he looked around. It took him twelve seconds to find the switch that turn on the lights in the room, a few feet away from the guillotine. He switched it on and bright lights came on. "There. That's better. Now I can find Sheele and-" Flare gasped as he got a better look at the chamber. He looked around and couldn't believe what he was seeing. _'What the hell...' _Flare saw a bunch of dead and naked people left and right. He couldn't sense aura from any of them, meaning that they were all dead. _'They're all... dead.' _

There were those still attached to torture devises. Such as dead men and women tied to large wooden wheels, dead men crushed by sitting on steel spiky chairs, innocent women were beaten to death by executioners with spiky knuckles, women strapped onto tables where they were whipped to death, he even saw some decapitated heads lying on the ground with their eyes open, that came from a dirty guillotine. Flare then looked up to see a giant black pot over his head. He couldn't even imagine what that was used for. Normally, the giant black pot would be used for boiling prisoners alive in oil.

"Tch!" Flare grunted. "This Empire is really fucked up. If only I had known about this, sooner... if I had been here a lot sooner. Then..." Flare gritted his teeth and gripped his fist out of frustration, as he looked at the corpses in anger. "Most of them... would still be alive..."

Somehow, Flare could tell that most of these people that were tortured to death were innocent. These people did nothing wrong, or illegal. All they did was oppose the Prime Minister's ideals. The Empire assumed that a lot of them were involved with the Revolution, but weren't. The Empire showed no mercy whatsoever.

"I'm sorry, everyone. I wasn't there to save you... from all of this." Flare lowered his head in shame and apologized to all the dead bodies that were mercilessly executed, before moving on.

Flare suddenly sensed someone's aura. _'That aura... it has to be Sheele.' _ It was faint, but still alive. Flare then ran for a short while and ended up finding Sheele, whom was in behind bars, sitting in a corner. As he looked upon the woman in purple, Sheele was bruised from the torturing she had received for being apart of the Revolutionary Army. Her body was wrapped in a white straight jacket, where she cannot move her arms.

"Who's there?" Sheele asked as she turned her head without her glasses. Sheele can't see well without her glasses.

A small part of Flare wanted to take pity on Sheele, but couldn't. He decided to break his silence. "It must be tough going through all this."

"Who are you again?"

Flare could see it in her face. Sheele can't see well without her glasses. _**'It's fixed. I want you to give it to her when you have the chance.' **_Akame's words had reached his mind and remembered Sheele's glasses. He pulled the pair of glasses out of his pocket and stared at them. He sighed.

"Are those my glasses?" Sheele asked.

_'How the heck did she know?' _he thought.

"If you don't mind, could you please give me my glasses?" Sheele politely asked, despite being in a straight jacket.

Flare turned his head and looked around to see if anyone was there. "Should I, really?" he asked before turning his face towards Sheele.

"You don't have to, if you don't want to. I won't bite." she said bluntly.

Flare stood still for the next couple of seconds, trying to sense out Sheele and any other person in the area. _'I don't sense anyone around the here. It really is just the two of us. But... should I really trust her? Sheele's not bluffing. I mean, she's in a straight jacket. There's no way she could get out of that.' _He opened the bar door. And stepped a foot inside the bar. "Alright. I'll make this quick."

"Thank you so much." Sheele smiled. Flare once again turned his head from left to right, then moved forwards. He carefully placed the glasses on her face. Sheele blinked a few times and got a clear view of Flare, through her glasses. "That's better." she blinked once again. "I remember you. You're the guy I fought at the park."

"Yeah... I am." Flare walked outside of the bars.

"Where are you going?"

"I gave you your glasses. I don't want people to come by and think that you and I are..."

"How could we? You and I aren't even naked." Sheele said bluntly.

Flare blushed. "What the hell are you even talking about!?" It took a seven seconds to finally calm down before speaking. "Look. I came in here because I wanted to ask you something."

"I'm sorry... I can't reveal anything..." Sheele said, she referred to her group, Night Raid.

Flare sighed. "I should've known you'd say that. But that's not what I wanted to ask you."

"Then, what is it?"

"Do you remember a woman named Mei Ling?" Flare asked.

"Mei Ling..." It took ten seconds for Sheele to speak. "Sorry. That doesn't ring a bell."

"She told me that you saved her a long time ago."

"I did?"

"Yeah. About four- maybe five years ago, you visited her house. And then one night, she had an ex-boyfriend who came to the hous and tried to strangle her, but then you killed him to save her!"

Five seconds later, it all came back to her. Sheele remembered that fateful night, where she saved her only friend. "I... remember now..." she sniffed. "I haven't seen her in so long... how is she?"

"She's great." Flare suddenly remembered his night with Mei Ling, then thought that he used the wrong word. _'Great, is not the best word to describe it.' _"She told me what happened that night with the both of you. She immediately regretted cutting ties with you back then, and now she wants to start over."

"I see." she nodded. "I really want to see her. But too be honest, that could never happen. My execution will be here soon."

_'She has a point.' _Flare thought.

"When I was younger, I didn't have any friends. I was often shunned by my clumsiness and my personality. One day, I had a friend whom was kind to me. That was Mei Ling. She didn't care about how much I messed up, she made me feel like a normal person. And then tragedy struck. Everything you said about that night was correct. I killed her ex-boyfriend in order to save her. But during that night, I discovered what my talent was... killing."

"So that's when you started your way of crime..."

"What are you doing here!" Flare heard a familiar voice and gasped. His body slowly turned around and saw Esdeath staring at him with cold blue eyes. "And whom is this... Mei Ling?" Esdeath asked.


	12. The Dream

Inside of Flare's village, Father Christopher is eating dinner with the orphans inside of the church in the dining table. Sister Lisa is speed walking through the halls "Father! Father Christopher!" she silently yelled. She opened the door that lead to the dining room. "Father, there you are. I have something to tell everyone…" she said as she is trying to catch her breathe.

"What is it, Sister Lisa?" the Priest asked.

"It's Flare…" she said.

The Priest's eyes widened a little when he heard Flare's name. He quickly got up from the table and walked towards Sister Lisa. "What's happened? Is he alright?" he asked.

"Yes. I was reading this newspaper and it said that Flare helped capture a member of Night Raid alive." She said.

"What?" the Priest asked as he couldn't believe his ears.

"And now he's a member of the special police force called the Jaegers!" he said with an excited voice. Air, Fal, Luna and the other kids are listening to their conversation.

Father Christopher's eyes widened completely. "let me see that!" He quickly took the newspaper from Sister Lisa's hands and read the article. "My god. So it is true." He said. "Well, when he gets back, we are going to celebrate." The Priest said in a calm manner.

The kids started cheering. "I knew he could do it!" Fal yelled.

"_He really is amazing…" _Air thought as she blushed.

"Alright everyone, calm down. There's no need to be rash." The Priest said as he's quieting the kids and maintaining the peace. _"Yes, Flare has been doing a lot here. We would've been starving by now if we hadn't sent us money on various occasions. And now, we can almost afford to rebuild the walls in this village." _The Priest thought.

"Father. I wonder, how he's doing right now?" Sister Lisa asked.

"He's probably fine. I just know it." The Priest responded.

* * *

Meanwhile, Flare had suddenly encountered Esdeath out of nowhere. "What are you doing here!" Flare heard a familiar voice and gasped. His body slowly turned around and saw Esdeath staring at him with cold blue eyes. "And whom is this... Mei Ling?" Esdeath asked.

_'Was she here listening this entire time... or did she just get here? If so, why wasn't I able to sense her? Sensing auras is one of my specialties!' _Flare thought as he stared at her. "Hey, Esdeath. What are you doing here?"

"I came here to check on Night Raid, to see that if she would talk... but instead, I find her talking to my lover." Esdeath explained. "There. I answered your question, now it's your turn to answer mine." She then frowned and placed a hand on her hip. Flare knew things had gotten a little serious. "Now tell me. Whom is Mei Ling?"

Flare thought about what he had to say. He knew that lying was pointless. _'I can't get out of this situation. She can tell when I am lying, and when I'm telling the truth!' _He knows that Esdeath can tell between truth and lies. _'Why am I so hesitant to say something? Just tell Esdeath who Mei is...!' _He also knows if he mess up, it could cost Mei Ling's life. "Mei Ling. She's... a friend."

"Oh? What kind of friend?" Esdeath questioned him, as she gave him a cold stare.

Inside Flre's mind, he started to get irritated from Esdeath's questions a little. _'Are you serious!?' _he thought. "A good friend." Flare answered.

"Minutes ago, you said that she was great." Esdeath used the quote sign. "Now you say that she's a good friend?"

"Yes, I said that. But please listen, Esdeath... I know what I said about her. She's actually a great person, and she's very caring." Flare's eyes had made contact with hers. "Listen. There's something I gotta tell you, before things get out of hand." The next five seconds, Flare had told Esdeath about his relationship with Mei Ling.

Esdeath had stood still as she listened to her lover's words. "I see."

"I hope you're able to understand."

"Oh, I do understand." Esdeath chuckled.

"You do?"

"Of course. Now that you have told me the truth..." Esdeath's body was surrounded with dark cold blue aura, and her eyes were cold as ice like before. "I'm going to pay this Mei Ling a visit." She turned around and started to make her leave. Flare's eyes widened in worrisome and walked behind her, leaving Sheele alone in her cell. Flare walked after Esdeath, thinking that she's going to do something crazy.

"Wait, Esdeath! What are you going to do?"

"I'll tell you after I meet her." Esdeath answered as she continued walking.

"Do you even know her address?"

"No, but I'll be sure to torture it out of someone, once I've reached Chinatown." Esdeath said with ease.

"Listen, you can't do this. I told you everything I knew!"

"I appreciate your honesty, my love. But there's something I must see over there for myself," for a moment, Esdeath stopped walking and turned towards Flare. "But before I go, there's something else I should do first." She grabbed Flare's face and shoved it into her bosom, as if he was a book or a stuffed animal.

"W-what are you doing!?" he tried to say while being smothered in her bosom. He struggled to escape the cold space of soft flesh, but Esdeath had refused to let go. Within twenty seconds, Flare's consciousness begun to slowly fade. _'Darn it... I'm passing out... but the feeling is... nice...' _His hands dropped when he stopped breathing, he was knocked out with his face between Esdeath's bosom. Most men would feel be proud to be smothered in a woman's breasts, but this was different. Esdeath knocked him out so that he wouldn't ruin her meeting.

"I'm sorry, Flare. But I can't have you ruining things." she apologized as she carried him over her shoulder.

* * *

Meanwhile, Mei Ling is in her house making green Tea, while all of a sudden she heard a knock on the door. She looked at the door and wondered whom it could be. _'It must be Flare.' _she smiled from the thought of thinking that Flare has come to visit her. She walked towards the door and opened it. "It's really nice to see you again, Flar-" she stopped, as she realized that the person she had hoped wasn't here. Instead, Mei was confronted by General Esdeath. "General... Esdeath?"

"Hello, Mei Ling. It's nice to finally meet you." Esdeath greeted her by temporarily removing the hat off her head. The people in Mei Ling's neighborhood stopped what they were doing and was shocked and confused on why someone like General Esdeath was in their district.

"Is there something wrong?" Mei politely asked.

"Nothing is wrong. I just like to have a few minutes of your time. It won't take long... may I come in?" Esdeath politely asked.

"Sure, come in." Mei opened the door wider and let Esdeath into her house.

"What a lovely house, you have." Esdeath complimented.

Mei slowly closed the door behind her. "Thank you. So, what is it that you like to discuss with me?"

"It's about Flare..." Esdeath begun to say.

Mei Ling gasped, thinking that she is in trouble.

* * *

Hours had passed, the sky is dark, the stars and moon are bright. Inside of the palace, Flare was unconscious in Esdeath's bed. He moaned, while asleep. He dreamed about himself being in a black room, along with Esdeath and Mei Ling. Mei was on her knees, pleading for her life to be spared, but Esdeath would not have it. She had drew out her rapier and placed the tip close to Mei's heart.

Flare's eyes widened in shock, as he realized what was going to happen next. He ran towards the two females and stretched his hand out.

"Stop it, Esdeath!" Flare pleaded. As he got to her, he tripped and made a thud on the ground. "Please, don't do this!"

Esdeath turned to Flare with a glare. "You should've told me... that she were friends with a Night Raid." she said with disappointment in her voice.

"She didn't do anything wrong! She's a good-" As Flare was talking, Sheele had appeared in the black room as well. Flare could see Sheele's body from a distant, but couldn't see her face. "Sheele?" Flare wodered, as he got off the ground and onto his knees. Sheele started walking closer and closer to them. "It's you Sheele. Quick! You have to stop Esdeath! She's going to kill Mei-" At that moment, Flare knew something was wrong. "Sheele?" he asked in concern. Sheele had walked right passed him and stood in front of Esdeath.

"Oh good, you're here, Night Raid." Esdeath said.

"Sheele! You you have to stop her! She's going to kill Mei! You have to stop her!" Flare screamed, but Sheele ignored him. Flare tried to move towards Sheele, but out of nowhere, Flare was subdued by chains that came out of nowhere. His wrists were cuffed, and on each side was pulling his arms. Flare fell onto his knees. _'What the hell is all this?'_

"I'm disappointed in you, Flare. I'd expected you to be better than this. Keeping secrets from me." Esdeath said.

"She's innocent!" Flare yelled.

"Not anymore, she isn't." Esdeath replied, then turned to Sheele. "You know what to do."

Sheele nodded at Esdeath.

"What's the matter, Sheele? Why aren't you saying anything? Aren't you going to defend your friend!?" Flare questioned. Within seconds, Sheele slowly turned her body around to face Flare. He gasped and his eyes had widened in horror, as he discovered... that Sheele's lips were sewn shut. "What did she..."

"Night Raid. Stop wasting time and do it." Esdeath ordered. Sheele turned back around and nodded at Esdeath. Out of nowhere, the Imperial Arm, Extase had appeared in her hands.

_'This isn't good! I can't break free!' _Flare muffled, as he tried to release himself. He also discovered that he couldn't use his Imperial Arm, his pyrokinesis. _'What's going on? Why can't I use my powers!?' _he continued to struggle.

"It's no use, Flare. Struggle all you want, but you cannot break free." Esdeath told him, as she grabbed his face, making him draw his attention to her. "Just relax. It'll be over soon." She said, then pressed her lips against his. Flare was in utter shock, he looked at Sheele through the corner of his eye. Sheele, whom had held Extase in the air, and was ready to strike her friend, Mei Ling down. In that instant, Mei Ling's eyes met Flare's and let out a weak smile. Flare was shocked and confused.

"Don't worry about me, Flare. Soon, I'll be going to the afterlife." she said, as she let out a tear of relief. "I love you... Fla-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Sheele had butchered her former friend, decapitation style. Mei Ling's head had rolled over to Flare. Mei Ling's face had a smile and a tear stream on her face. Tears had streamed down his face and he muffled and cried in horror, while being forced to kiss Esdeath.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Flare screamed, as he woke up from his nightmare. Tears streamed down his face. As he panted, he looked around to find himself once again in Esdeath's room, in her king-sized bed. He looked down and found himself in nothing, but his boxers. He placed a hnad on his forehead. "What was all that just now? Was that a dream? Or was it... a nightmare?" he asked himself. He couldn't help but think of the dark aura that Esdeath had produced and the image of Sheele that he saw in his dream. He started having regrets about speaking about Mei Ling out loud.

The door had opened, and someone had made their way in. It turned out that it really was Esdeath. She immediately glanced over to Flare and smiled. Her cheeks had a peach fuzz on it. "Ah, you're awake." Esdeath walked over to the bed and sat down next to him with a cool emotion. "I heard you scream from down the hall." she mentioned.

"I'm sorry, about that." he apologized.

"It's alright."

"I had this... weird dream all of a sudden."

"Oh? A dream?"

"Yeah. I was in a black room, you were there, Sheele was there as well. And there was also Mei Ling..." Flare then gasped. "What happened to Mei Ling!?" he asked in concern.

"I guess you really care about your lady friend, huh?"

"Did you visit her?"

"I did."

What happened? Did you do anything to her?" Flare asked.

Esdeath sighed, then put on a serious face. "I'm sorry, Flare. She's..."

"She's what? She's what? What happened to Mei Ling!?" he questioned. Esdeath had remained silent for a moment with a frown on her face. Flare assumed that Esdeath had hurt or even killed her. "How could you? How could you do such a thing?" Flare let tears out of his eyes.

"She's doing fine." Esdeath muttered.

"What?"

"Hahah!" Esdeath laughed. "

"Huh?" Flare was thrown off by Esdeath's laughter. "How is any of this funny to you?"

"Because, I didn't do anything to your friend. It was only a joke." Esdeath confessed as she patted his dark hair.

"Wait, a JOKE?" The tears suddenly vanished from his eyes.

"Of course. I would never harm a civilian in the Empire. What do you take me for, Night Raid?" Esdeath assured, as she chuckled a bit.

"So, Mei is..."

"She's alright."

Flare sighed. "That's a relief.

I like her in fact." Esdeath grabbed him and brought the side of his head to her bosom.

"Huh?" Flare had never heard Esdeath say that she liked anyone before. "You actually... like her?"

"Of course. She knows how to make tea, that's a start. Esdeath she really knows how to make good tea." Esdeath complimented.

Flare chuckled. "I even encouraged her to start her own tea shop."

"That's nice. Now, why don't we get started, shall we?" As she stood before Flare, Esdeath begun to slowly undress herself. The first clothing she had removed was her white coat, and then her skirt and tossed them near the bed. Flare sat his head up and saw Esdeath slowly undress, he noticed what was coming next, so he quickly undressed himself, leaving nothing on but his birthday suit. He posed on top of the bed like a model, and placed a pillow over his member.

"Done." Flare muttered out loud.

"Oh?" Esdeath was in her white bra and panties. As she heard him say "Done," she turned to see Flare in the nude posing on the bed, with a pillow over his member. This idea made her giggle. "Silly Flare, we're not doing that tonight."

"Wait, what?" Flare was a little confused, as he had sworn that they were going to have sex.

"We will be needing our strength and stamina tomorrow. We're going to have a big day ahead of us." Esdeath said, gently as she lie in the bed next to him.

"Right. Tomorrow." Flare sat up, thinking about something.

"What's wrong?" Esdeath asked.

"I don't know, I was just thinking about something... Esdeath?"

"Yes, Flare?"

"After we beat the Revolutionary Army... have you ever thought about what you wanted to do once this war is over?"

"To be honest, I haven't thought much about it," she laid a hand on his left shoulder in bed. "But now that you mention it... I do know what I want to do."

"You do? What's that?"

Esdeath then grabbed Flare's face and drew it to hers. "Marry you, of course. I want to us be married and start a family, silly." Her smile shortly turned to a mild frown. "But that will have to wait. Only after we beat Najenda and the Revolutionary Army, I will find happiness." she said.

"That's great. I also have to think about Seryu. She's madly in love with me, too." he said as he looked down worried.

"Hey," Esdeath pressed his shoulders down to the bed. "Don't worry about it. Seryu can marry you as well." she assured.

"That's nice." Flare said as he glanced at her breasts.

"So, what happened when you went to see her?" he asked.

"Oh, that's right. Your friend is quite talented... she was nice enough to teach me a few tricks." Esdeath winked at him.

"Tricks!?" Flare blushed.

* * *

Meanwhile, Mei Ling is in her house, throwing up in a toilet for unknown reasons. After a few minutes of hurling, Mei Ling opened her medicine cabinet and took some medicine to make her feel better. As she placed the medicine back, she spotted a pregnancy test box that she had bought recently. She sat on the toilet and peed on the test stick. She waited a few minutes for the results to come back. As she looked at the stick, she knew how they worked. If a pregnancy test has a thick pink line and a faded pink line, it means the woman is pregnant. If the pregnancy test has a thick pink line and no faded pink line, it means the woman is not pregnant. Mei Ling was a little shooken before she read it. As she read the result, her eyes widened with a mild expression and dropped the pregnancy test on the floor.

"Oh my god... I'm pregnant." she muttered.


	13. The Danger Beasts

The Team of Jaegers were seen on the outskirts of the capital. All living members were present and stood before Esdeath. It was a sunny afternoon with a few small clouds.

"Today, we'll be hunting a new species of Danger Beasts." Esdeath instructed to her team.

"General Esdeath, what does hunting Danger Beasts have to do with Night Raid?" Kurome asked.

"I'm glad you asked, Kurome. It doesn't. Recently in the reports, these new types of Danger Beasts were said to be humanoid… and had been said to attack anything and anyone it finds. Just a few days ago, these new types of Danger Beasts have forced their way in a family's home and had devoured them alive." Esdeath explained.

The Jaegers gasped, except for Esdeath and Kurome.

"S-seriously?" Wave stuttered. "Are you sure these… THINGS are Danger Beasts?"

"It may sound like Danger Beasts, but I don't think they're actual Danger Beasts, though."

"General Esdeath? We're here to exterminate these so called… Danger Beasts, right?" Bols asked.

"That's correct, Bols. We, the Jaegers have been ordered by the Minister himself, to exterminate these new-types of Danger Beasts before they could attack the capital itself."

Flare gasped in anger, after hearing "The Minister".

"Yesterday, I was given orders by the Minister to eliminate these monsters."

Flashback 

Esdeath had sat at a long table across from the Minister Honest. He had just placed drugs into Emperor Makoto's tea, then sipped from his own teacup.

"I have a favor to ask you, General Esdeath." Honest asked for a favor.

"I'm listening." Esdeath responded.

"There is a new species of Danger Beasts that has appeared around the capital. I would like you to get rid of them."

Esdeath had leaned her back forward, her elbows placed on the table and fingers together. "I am aware. I have already started investigated, myself." She informed Honest.

"I heard of that." Honest pointed. "They also share a resemblance to human beings… we can have a lot of fun with these creatures, don't you agree?" Honest lowered his hand. "If Great General Budo were to even look at the creatures, he would exterminate them without a second thought."

"As you wish…" She arose from the long table. "After hearing how dangerous they are, this makes me want to hunt them even more." Esdeath grinned. "I'll make sure that I'll keep two or three for you to examine. Please send the reward money to my team." She placed her respective general hat on her head.

"You're a benevolent leader, aren't you, General?"

End Flashback

"The Danger Beasts most likely nocturnal, so they will attack at night." Esdeath looked at the sky to tell when the sun will set. "I would say in five-to six hours, the sun will set, and that will be there time to try to enter the capital. Does everyone get the picture?"

"Roger that!" the Jaegers yelled.

A few hours had quickly pass and the sun had set around the capital. Two guys were riding in a carriage with a single horse taking them to the capital. The two men were aware of the Danger Beast threat, so they hustled there horse fast enough to run at full speed.

"Hurry up! We need to reach the capital before dark!" man #1 said.

"I know! It's sun set and we only have one horse, so we gotta get out of this area as fast as we can!" man #2 said.

Suddenly, the horse screams and the carriage stopped, leaving one of the men confused. "Wait, why'd you stop?" man #1 asked the horse. Then they both look up to see three humanoid Danger Beasts leap towards them. Both men scream for their lives as the beasts about to attack them.

Out of nowhere, both Flare and Bols had counter-attacked the beasts with punches and kicks, causing them to jump backwards.

"Good, we made it in time!" Bols said.

Flare turned his head to see two men with a carriage and a horse. "Are you guys alright?" he asked the two men.

"Yeah, we're good." Man #1 said.

Two of the three beasts had went after both Flare and Bols. One leaped and charged towards Bols, but Bols had Suplexed the beast from behind, causing part of the ground to crack. Bols was able to do this with his fuel tank on his back. He saw two more beasts coming, so he swung the beast at them, making it collide with the other beasts.

Flare on the other hand dealt with the other beast by delivering heavy punches and kicks to the beast, to where he knocks it to the ground. Flare then grabbed the beast by the foot and started swinging it around like a clock, until he let go and the beast collided with a few trees.

Bols saw that the beasts won't give up so easily, so he pulled out his Imperial Arm, the Purgatory's Invitation: Rubicante. "With this, I'll bring them down for sure!" he yelled, as he unleashed the deadly flamethrowers onto a few the beasts.

Meanwhile, Flare had managed to cut off one of the beast's arms with a sword conjured out of flames.

'_This really has come in handy. After a month of training with Esdeath, I've learned to make my pyrokinesis useful. She taught me how to conjure weapons, by using my imagination and crafts.' _Flare thought.

One last remaining beast tried to charge, but failed to catch him. Flare had ducked and struck the beast through the heart with his flame sword. In seconds, the beast had collapsed to the ground, dead.

"That's it." Flare said, as his sword of flames vanished.

"You're safe now, everyone." Bols faced two of the men, whom had looked at Bols in fear. Flare could see the expression on both of the men's faces and could tell that they were afraid of Bols.

"Wait, it's not what you think. Bols' not one of them. He helped me save you guys." Flare protested.

"Yes… we've defeated the Danger Beasts. There's no need to be afraid…" Bols said, as he walked towards the merchants. The last word, "Afraid" had echoed through their heads, in a bad way. They were about to cower in fear until Seryu placed a hand on their shoulders.

"Don't worry, you two. The Flames of Justice has destroyed the evil!" Seryu said, optimistically. Both merchants are now relieved, knowing that they have been saved.

"Ye-yeah! You guys must be soldiers from the capital." man #1 said.

"Oh, thank god!" man #2 said.

"Look, this isn't safe here. There could be more lurking out there. Hurry to the capital before it gets dark." Flare instructed.

"Right!" both men had quickly got back in their carriage and drove off towards the capital.

'_I wonder, how Esdeath is dealing with this?' _Flare wondered.

Meanwhile, Esdeath has used her cryokinesis, the ability the create ice to trap three remaining beasts in ice like rocks, with Kurome at her side.

"As expected. I've incapacitated the ones from that ran away from Bols and Flare. Capture complete." Esdeath stood and looked at the frozen beasts. Kurome walks closer to the frozen beasts with an appetite. She gazed upon them with a blank face and was getting ready to eat. "Don't eat it." Esdeath instructed, which caused Kurome to snap back into reality.

* * *

The next day, Flare lied in the Jaeger headquarters, which was yards away from the palace. He sat a table staring through an outside window, bored out of his mind, while Wave and Kurome play a game of chess. Bols had walked in a room filled with a plate with cups of tea.

"Wave, Flare, Kurome. The tea is here." Bols said as he handed them out.

"Thanks, Bols." Flare said.

"Thanks." Kurome said.

"Thanks for always doing this kind of things." Wave thanked Bols.

"It's okay, you guys. I'm doing this because I want to." Bols sees that Wave is upset. "What's wrong, Wave?"

"I'm just a little... upset," Wave answered. "Even though you're a good person, the merchants from yesterday saw you as nothing but a monster. They judged you by your appearance."

_'He's right. Those merchants were afraid of Bols, after fighting those Danger Beasts. I bet if Bols didn't wear a mask, then they probably would've treated him differently.' _Flare thought as he reminisced.

"True, but do you have the right to say that?" Kurome asked Wave, while eating cookies.

"Agh! That's right!" Wave jumped up, as he then realized how treated Bols from the start. "I'm so sorry, Bols."

"Don't sweat it, Wave." Bols said with ease. "Also. I know that I said it before, but I'm not a good... person." Bols reminisced about his past. "There were villages that were infected with plagues and diseases that I had incinerated. I had burned countless people that were both innocent and guilty to death..." his hands shook, as he stared at them. "I have earned grudges from more people that I can count..."

"But that was because you had taken orders! You're a soldier from the Empire!" Wave argued.

"Even if you say it's something a soldier has to do, sins are still sins. No matter how big or small."

Flare stood up. "Have you ever thought about... atoning for your sins?" he asked Bols.

"Atonement?"

"Yeah. I know someone who feels the exact way you do." Flare had referred to Father Christopher from his village. "He did the exact same dirty work you did. After he retired, he spent years praying and atoning for his sins. You can still do that, before it is too late."

"Thank you, Flare. Maybe I'll try it myself. After the war is done-" All of a sudden, a door had opened, and it turns out to be Bols' family. A woman with light brown hair and purple eyes, her name is Kije. She was carrying a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes, her name is Logue. They both wore fancy dresses.

"Oh dear, was this a good time, Bols?" Kije asked.

"Papa!" Logue yelled in excitement.

"My, my. What are you two doing here?" Bols asked in excitement, and a little pumped up.

"Dearie, you forgot your lunchbox." she offered it to him.

"Whoopsie!" Bols rubbed the back of his mask and took the lunchbox. "Thank you, girls."

"Silly papa." Logue teased.

"Since it's a tough job, you have to recharge your body and soul." Kije suggested.

As the family have their own discussion, all three Flare, Wave and Kurome stare at them with blank faces.

_'Wow. I guess this must be whom Bols get his confidence from.' _Flare thought.

_'Not a minute later, Bols was telling me how he incinerated countless people and that his sins were unforgivable...' _Wave thought.

_'Now it's like he's the strongest man in the world.' _Kurom thought.

Bols turned to his teammates. "This is my wife and daughter. They know everything I do. And what's more is, that they supported me every step of the way." All of a sudden, Bols started shining a golden light, which caused Wave to look away due to the pressure. "Sure, things do get tough for me, though. But as long as I have my family, I am completely fine."

_'It's too strong!' _Wave noted, as he continued to turn away from the light. Seconds later, Wave felt uneasy and ashamed. _'This must mean that I'm useless.' _Out of pity, Kurome placed a hand on Wave's shoulder.

Kije turned to Flare. "And you must be Flare. Bols has told us so much about you." she smiled.

"Oh, it's nothing at all, really." he blushed a little, denying. Wave and Kurome smile at Bol's family.

* * *

Many hours had passed since the purge of the humanoid Danger Beasts. Esdeath and Flare had been seen riding on a big red wyvern, flying through the sky over Mount Fake. Esdeath stood on top of its steering the wyven in course, while Flare just sat a few inches behind her.

"I appreciate you coming out here doing this with me, Flare."

"No problem, Esdeath." he gave her a thumbs up. "But to be honest, I have never been this high before." he said, as he looked down at Mount Fake.

"Sometimes I come out here at night and gaze at the beautiful moon and stars. And when I do that, I sometimes feel lonely." she said.

"If it makes you feel better, you don't have to feel alone."

Esdeath blushed and smiled. "That's what I like to hear."

Meanwhile, Tatsumi is on top of one of the rock's peaks above the clouds looking around for anything in sight. He is dressed in his Incursio Armor. "As it really stands out, I don't see any animals." Tatsumi then deforms from his Incursio armor. "Even Danger Beasts have to go to sleep sometimes." He said, before gazing at the moon. "Uh!" He then saw a dragon flying in the sky. "What is that?"

At that moment, Flare sensed a someone nearby, even way out in the sky. _'I sense someone.' __He looked over the wyvern's edge._

"Hm?" Esdeath turned her head back to Flare. "Something wrong?" she asked.

"I know it sounds crazy, but I can sense someone from all the way up here." Flare stated.

"Really? Where?" she asked then looked down at the surface and saw someone. "It must be a Danger Beast down there." She chuckled. "If so, it has terrible luck." She pulled out her silver rapier.

"Are you going after it?" Flare asked in concern.

"Yes. You're free to join me." She said before jumping off the Wyvern.

"Wait! What about your dragon?" he shouted.

"Don't worry! It knows its way back to the palace!" she shouted while falling into the sky.

'_Crap. What am I supposed to do, watch over the dragon or go jump after Esdeath?' _he asked himself and thought about it for a few seconds. A few minutes had passed, then a purple light flashed out of nowhere on the rock where Esdeath landed and Flare caught a glance of it before the light disappeared. "That's where Esdeath is..." he stood on the wyvern's back, while flying. "See ya, dragon. I gotta GOOOOOO!" he yelled "Go", as he jumped off of the wyvern's back.

"Well, what should I play with next?" Syura asked himself, as he is holding his Imperial Arm, Shambhala. Out of nowhere, there was a crash from the sky onto the peak of the large rock.

"Stop right there!" Flare demanded.

Syura looked closer and saw Flare for the first time. "Where the hell'd you come from?"

"That's what I should be asking you. What have you done with Esdeath? I saw that light." Flare demanded an answer.

"I sent her and a boy far, far away from the capital." Syura grinned.

"A boy with..." Flare then remembered seeing someone with brown hair and green eyes. _'Is he talking about Tatsumi?' _he thought.

Syura looked down at Shambhala. _'Shit. I already used Shambhala once to transport Esdeath away. I won't be able to use Shambhala again until it recharges. If only I knew this pest was there from the start, I could've gotten away without anyone knowing my identity.' _Syura thought. "Ah, fuck it." he pointed at Flare. "Since you've blown my cover, I, Great Syura cannot allow you to live!"

"Are you with Night Raid?" Flare asked.

"Huh?" Syura broke out laughing. "You idiot. Why would I ever get involved with Night Raid? I am the son of the Prime Minister! I could do whatever I want! You, the Danger Beasts, everyone are all nothing but toys in my box!"

Flare gasped at two things. The first thing that Flare gasped at was the Syura saying, "I am the son of the Prime Minister!" he quickly realized that this guy, Syura is also Honest's son, which means that make Syura his half-brother. On the other hand, he heard Syura mention the Danger Beasts that had attacked the outskirts of the Empire, about being toys in his box.

Flare then glared at Syura. "So, it was you who unleashed the Danger Beasts on the towns people! Why'd you do it?" he demanded an answer.

"There's nothing more in this world that bother me more than boredom! And those creatures kept me pretty well. Just hearing the people scream and beg for their lives just made me all the more excitement!" Syura laughed.

"Tch! I'm gonna let you hurt another soul anymore!" Flare yelled, as he was prepared to fight the lunatic before him.

"You're going to fight me?" Syura removed his yellow jacket. "Very well, then. Let's see how long you can entertain me!" he yelled, as he took his signature fighting stance.

* * *

**Two half-siblings which are polar opposites of each other. How do you guys think this fight is going to go?**


	14. Shattered Pride

In the late night, their stood two fighters who are capable of using their Imperial Arms. Flare was one side of the rock and Syura were on the opposite side, preparing to fight. They stared at each other as they took their respective fighting stances. "Youre gonna come at me, or you're just gonna stare at my handsome physique all night?" Syura joked.

"There's nothing handsome about the things you've done!" Flare yelled, as he dashed towards his opponent. As he charged, he threw a hard punch towards Syura, whom had easily dodged it by using his speed and agility. Flare noticed that he missed him. Suddenly, Syura appeared behind him, ready to deliver a punch of his own, until Flare caught his fist.

_'Not bad!' _Syura complimented, before jumping back from Flare's spinning kick. He then chuckled out of spite. Flare charged again, throwing some unsuccessful punches and kicks. This continues for a few moments. "Are you even trying to hit me?" Syura taunted.

_'He's dodging most of my attacks!' _Flare thought. "Ngh!" he groaned, as he got a right hook to the face by Syura. His body flew backwards a few inches, as his feet withstood to the ground like a magnet.

"That's how you land a punch," Syura leaped towards him like a predator, thinking that he had the advantage. "Here, let me give you some more!" He threw another punch at Flare, but was intercepted this time as Flare caught his fist again.

Flare stayed calm and delivered a heavy punch to Syura's torso, causing air to knock out of Syura, pushing his body back. "Like that?" he said, as he wiped some blood off of his lip with his fist.

This brawl continues a little longer until Syura decided to try something else for a change. Both Flare and Syura have delivered blow after blow to each other, leaving light bruises to one another from the fist brawl.

_'Whoever the hell this guy is… he's tough, I'll give him that.' _ "However…" Syura smirked, then charged at him again, headfirst.

Flare raised his guard up as Syura had approached him with such speed. Suddenly, Syura had disappeared in front of his eyes, leaving Flare a little surprised. Flare turned his head around a little. "What the—" Flare felt a sharp kick collide with the side of his face from behind. Syura had stood on his palms and twisted his body around like a spinning top, swinging his feet.

_'The hell was that…' _Before Flare fell to the ground, he slowly thought in midair.

"I've never fought anyone who lasted this long before." Syura admitted, as he jumped back on his feet. "But I'm afraid that our little fight must come to an end soon." He looked at his hand, which had dirt on it and dumped it out of his hand. Syura leaped into the air launching a number of kicks at him, which Flare blocked most of them.

Syura threw another right hook that Flare evaded, then landed a natural punch to the torso. He didn't stop there, he kept feeding Syura another of punches to the upper body, until he delivered a spinning punch to his face.

As Syura's body spin in midair, Flare jumped over him to deliver a hook to the ribs, causing Syura to groan. _'Damn him!' _Syura intentionally twisted his body in midair, causing his foot to make impact with Flare's face. The two landed on his feet like animals. Syura found himself bent on one knee and panting while he saw Flare still standing on both feet. He had slowly became irritated of this fight dragging on and on.

"What's the matter? Tired already?" Flare taunted.

"Don't you mock the Great Syura!" Syura lashed out. _'Wait. I have an idea.' _He secretly pulled out his Imperial Arm, Shambhala from behind his back. _'I'll kill him with this.' _Syura slowly stood before Flare and chuckled.

"What's so funny about you losing?" Flare asked, not letting his guard down.

"I'm not laughing about that. I'm laughing at this." As soon as Syura said the word, "This." He temporarily activated Shambhala to cause a diversion. Suddenly, a purple light had appeared right before Flare. "Oh no, what's that?" he said, fooling him.

"What?" Flare turned his head around to see the actual light. "What is this light?" he questioned. "Hey, what kind of tricks are you trying to-" By the time Flare had turned back to face Syura, he was already in close range. Fast enough to use a deadly palm strike to the throat on Flare. Flare gasped for air, after being assaulted with a palm strike to the throat. He fell on his knees.

"What's the matter? Got something in his throat? Haha!" Syura mocked and laugh at Flare, whom was choking and gasping for air. "Eh?" As Syura looked at him, he expected to see despair and fear in his eyes, but instead saw nothing but rage and contempt from Flare's fiery golden eyes. Syura started to detest that look in his eyes. "You…"

Flare slowly stood on his feet with one hand on his throat, preparing to fight him some more. _'I'm going to kill you!' _Those three words echoed through Flare's head, as he glared at Syura.

Syura grit his teeth out of annoyance. "You want more? Fine!" he dashed towards the injured Flare and double palm strike him in the chest with both hands. "Choke on this!" A lot of force was pushed from Syura as he used the palm strike.

"Gargh!" Flare spat blood from his mouth. His pupils had rolled to the back of his head, as his vision suddenly blackened and was rendered unconscious. As Flare was pushed, he did not know that he was falling off the peak of the rock that they were fighting on. The peak was very high and Flare was falling down very fast.

Syura fell on one knee and panted for a while. _'Dammit… I can't believe… he forced me to use Shambhala while… deactivated…' _ Syura looked over the peak's edge to see where Flare had fallen. All he could see was other peaks of tall rocks while all he could see was nothing but black shadow from below the peaks. _'Where did he go?' _he asked himself while looking for Flare's body. _'It's been a minute. I should've heard his body hitting the ground by now.' _Syura calculated in his head. _'I crushed his windpipe and stopped his heart for a moment with those palm strikes, though.' _Syura smiled. _'Oh well. Whoever he was, he's dead now.' _Syura begun to walk away.

Meanwhile on the low, Flare's unconscious body was hanging on a long branch off a tree that grew from the side of the mountain. He was near a stream of water and there were no Danger Beasts in sight. Finally the branch snapped and Flare's body fell next to a boulder, which was a few inches close to a river stream.

* * *

"Flare! Can you hear me? Flare, wake up!" yelled a familiar voice.

_'That voice...' _

"It's me, Esdeath!"

_'Es...death?' he questioned._

"Flare, open your eyes! Tell me that you're alive!"

_'It is her!' _Flare slowly fluttered his eyes open, he looked only to find himself in Esdeath's arms. The sun was rising and it was nothing but dawn. Flare looked t the dawn sky. _'It's... morning?' _he silently questioned.

"Oh good, you're awake. For a moment, I thought I had lost you. If you had died, that would've meant that you were weak." She said, bluntly. Flare looked at Esdeath again then slowly sat up with Esdeath at his side. He ached from the chest pain. "Hey, easy now." she said, as she carefully helped him up. Flare grabbed his chest, due to the pain that Syura caused the previous night.

_'It hurts so much!' _Flare then thought about that moment when Syura assaulted him before he blacked out.

"Take it easy. You're in no condition to move." Esdeath demanded, as she placed him down.

"What... happened?" Flare slowly asked Esdeath in a soft tone.

"You blacked out. I found you unconscious minutes ago. You were badly injured and your throat had suffered severe damage."

Flare lightly touched his throat, and ached from the pain. There were white bandages wrapped around his throat to reduce the swelling.

_'I remember now. He did this to me.' _Flare reminisced. _'Damn him. I'll make him pay for it next time.' _Flare looked at the river stream and crawled towards it. He panted as he got to the stream. He cupped his hand with as much water he could and started drinking little by little.

As Esdeath watched Flare struggle, she knew he didn't want her help and so she took pity on him. 'Flare,_ you... you got those injuries from another person, didn't you?' _she tilted her head down in pity and her hat covered her eyes. _'There was no way that a Danger Beast could've done that to you.' _After drinking water, Flare slowly stood up on his feet, before tripping. "Flare!" She was offering to help, but Flare placed a hand up, telling that he didn't need her help. He struggled to get back up a bit and dragged himself towards the boulder he landed next to.

As Flare walked towards the boulder, he visualized his current condition. Then he visualized Syura grinning at his defeat. _'Choke on this!' _Those were the last words he heard Syura said. This made Flare grit his teeth and anger as he continued to visualize Syura. He gripped his fists to the point where his hands started bleeding. _'SHIT!' _Flare roared in his mind as he gave the boulder a hard punch. The impact of Flare's punch made the boulder crack a little. Somehow, Flare could still see Syura mocking him through the boulder. This only made Flare angrier as the boulder is still standing. _'HYYAAAGH!' _he punched the boulder again, deepening the crack inside.

Esdeath gasped, as she watched Flare pound the boulder again and again, over and over. She looked closer and saw Flare's hands were bleeding out. "Flare?"

Flare still wasn't satisfied with the result. He knew that punching the boulder into pieces wasn't going to work all, so he grabbed the boulder with his hands and bashed his face into it. _'Dammit... Dammit... Dammit...! Dammit! DAMMIT!' _he yelled inside of his mind every time he bashed his face in the boulder. Slowly, the boulder begun to crumble.

"Ah?" Esdeath watched in horror, as her lover is bashing his face in for no apparent reason. She then saw blood dripping from under his feet and realized... Flare, stop." she ordered. Flare stopped for a moment and continued to bash his face in. "I mean it, Flare, stop!" she ordered once more. She walked closer as he ignored her this time. "Why won't you listen? If you continue to pound that rock, you're gonna bleed to death!" she yelled, then gasped in shock. Flare slowly turned his head towards Esdeath in grief with his face all bloody. It was like Flare was crying blood from his eyes instead of tears.

After seeing that image of Flare, something had finally hit Esdeath. Ever since she was a child, her father had taught her "The Weak Dies and The Strong Survives." and for years, she had lived by that sword. But at this moment, Esdeath was seeing the exact opposite. She noticed that Flare wasn't trying to kill himself, but learned and noticed how week he was, and the boulder was something to take out his frustrations out on. She knew he needed to get stronger. This event brought Esdeath in tears, as she realized that all this time that she was wrong. Her father was wrong. Dying does not make you weak. Dying was just natural. What makes you strong... are those that you love.

Before Flare could bash his head into the boulder again, he found himself embraced in the arms of Esdeath. Tears had dripped from her eyes in sadness. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." she whimpered. Flare finally let go of the boulder and hung his head down in grief, as Esdeath cried over him in sorrow.

* * *

Later that day, The Jaegers were in the dining hall waiting for Esdeath and Flare to return. Kurome was sitting at the dining table with her bag of cookies, Seryu was pretty occupied with Koro, Wave and Run were having a conversation and Bols had a trey with green tea. Everyone turned their attention to Esdeath, whom had appeared in the door. Esdeath had a sad look on her face, leaving her subordinates confused. Esdeath slowly stood out of the way. Flare slowly walked in the dining hall with his injuries visible. The group's eyes widened in horror. The first person to react to Flare's condition was Bols. He dropped the entire trey with tea in shock. Seryu was upset to the point where she ran pass Flare, out of the dining hall with Koro in her arms and tears in her eyes. Wave and Run were utterly speechless. Kurome refused to eat another cookie after seeing Flare's condition. During the night, Kurome went outside with her Yatsufusa slashing random bamboo trees in fits of anger. Bols stood in his room in grief, praying. Seryu spent the whole night crying for Flare. Run stood in the palace garden and stared at the sky.

Wave went to Mount Fake and saw a boulder that Flare had bashed his head in earlier. He also saw blood on it, realizing that it was Flare's blood. "Tch!" Wave instantly shattered the entire boulder into pieces with one punch in his Grand Chariot armor. "Don't worry, Flare. I swear. I'm going to make the bastard who did this to you pay!"


	15. Storytime

It took an entire day for Flare's throat to heal after that incident in Mount Fake. In some places, his neck was still soar here and there. He was able to speak like normal again in no time. He lied on his bed and is stared at the ceiling, thinking about how to get stronger. As his mind wondered into space, he suddenly heard a a door knob twist and a person that he was familiar with had opened the door.

"Good to see you in top shape, Flare." Esdeath said.

"Hi, Esdeath."

She walked closer and sat right next to him with an item in her right hand. "Ar How are you feeling?"

"I can speak fine, but I think I'm still a little soar." Flare answered.

"Really..." Esdeath then opened up a small item. It is really a small jar filled with cream and she gently touched his neck with it.

Flare shivered a little. "What is this?"

"Angel Cream. It's the most valuable and the most expensive cream I could find in the Empire." she told him.

"Oh no, you don't have to spend money on me." Flare shook his head no.

"I didn't. I searched through many different shops looking for this sort of cream. When I was ready to pay for it, the seller suddenly gave it to me for free. I think he the seller had a hesitation problem, though." When Esdeath arrived at shop, the store owner was consumed with fear. He thought that Esdeath was going to punish him for something he didn't do. So he let her take whatever she want.

"Thanks for giving me this cream. I appreciate it."

"Likewise. All you have to do is rub it in your skin for a few hours and your throat will be as good as new."

Flare thought about that night at Mount Fake and turned to Esdeath. "So, Esdeath?"

"What is it?"

"That night back at Mount Fake... how did you escape?"

"Oh, I can't believe I forgot to tell you. It all started with…" Esdeath had begun to explain.

* * *

Flashback

At that moment, Flare sensed a familiar Qi nearby, even way out in the sky. _"I sense someone. This energy is familiar. It can't be…!" _he thought.

Esdeath turned her head back to Flare. "Something wrong?" she asked.

"I know it sounds crazy, but I can sense someone from all the way up here." Flare stated.

"Really? Where" she asked then looked down at the surface and saw someone. "It must be a Danger Beast down there." She chuckled. "If so, it has terrible luck." She pulled out her rapier.

"Are you going after it?" Flare asked in concern.

"Yes. You're free to join me." She said before jumping off of the wyvern.

"Wait! What about your dragon?" he shouted.

"Don't worry! It knows its way back to the palace!" she shouted while falling into the sky.

Seconds later, she crash landed on feet causing a boom sound onto the ground. Tatsumi flinched and turned to the sound. "What was that?" Tatsumi asked herself.

The dust from the crash had finally cleared. Esdeath stood up, she pulled her silver rapier out of her sheath and pointed directly at Tatsumi. "Tonight isn't your night. I have a couple of torture techniques I would want to try on you..." she cut herself off after discovering that it was a boy on top of the peak. "Huh?" she lowered her rapier.

Tatsumi had begun to shiver due to being around her presence. _'Shit! It's General Esdeath! Out of all places, why here?!' _he thought to himself.

"Who are you?" Esdeath asked.

Tatsumi tilted his head forward and cringed his teeth. _'Also, she's responsible for the Three Beasts.' _He then thought about Bulat. _'If not for her, Bro would still be alive!' _

"I asked you a question. Who are you?" Esdeath asked once again raising her rapier towards Tatsumi.

Tatsumi then looked at Esdeath. Tiny balls of sweat started to form on his face. _'If I tell her who I really am, she'll torture me for sure. Forgive me, Ieyasu.' _He thought to himself as he had began to open his mouth.

Esdeath had slowly began to walk towards Tatsumi "Are you deaf, or do I need to torture you to spill it out?" she asked once more. "This is the last time I will ask you. What is your—"

"It's Ieyasu!" Tatsumi lied.

"Ieyasu? What a dumb name." Esdeath said out loud.

_'She's... not wrong.' _Tatsumi thought, being a little irritated.

"Now answer my question, Ieyasu. What are you doing here? Don't you know it's not safe?"

'_I need to make up a story to get away from her!' _he thought to himself. "Oh, I heard there were Danger Beasts in the mountains and I came to hone my skills!" he said as he pulled out Incursio's Key.

"Oh really…" Esdeath then sensed the humanoid Danger Beasts nearby. She looked and saw humanoid Danger Beasts getting ready to attack her.  
_'Holy shit, it's them!' _Tatsumi thought as he stared at the Danger Beasts. _'This is my chance to get away! I mean, Esdeath can take care of herself, right?' _Tatsumi took a few steps back.

The Danger Beasts then charged towards General Esdeath. "You damn dirty beasts!" Esdeath yelled as she sliced all the Danger Beasts with her silver rapier with less effort. She then placed one hand on her hat and the other hand with the silver rapier behind her back.

As bodies flying, Tatsumi couldn't help but think. _'Then again, not.' _Tatsumi was shocked to see how skilled of a swordswoman she is.

Esdeath then looked and saw there was a Danger Beast still clinging on to life. She then stomped her heel into its forehead. She spinned her heel around her in its head causing the beast's eyeball to roll. "You are in my way." She said looking at the Danger Beast. She then turned to Tatsumi, whiched caused him to shiver once again. "Ieyasu. Don't go anywhere. I have more questions for you."

'_Oh boy, I'm a goner.' _Tatsumi thought as he knew he was doomed.

"Now, another question I would like to asked you..." Esdeath then sensed someone else's presence. She pulled out her silver rapier. "You there! The coward who is trying to hide! Show yourself!" she yelled pointing her rapier at the rock.

A man in a yellow coat walked out of hiding. "Well, shit. It looks like you caught me. You're not to shabby. Now I understand why everyone is so afraid of you. Anyway, now that the two of us had exchanged pleasantries, I say it's now a good time to stop playing with my toys." Syura said.

"Sounds like you know about the Danger Beasts roaming around the capital. I'll be more than glad to torture it out of you." She said eagerly.

"Sorry honey, but it's not my cup of tea. But if you're a little excited, I could show you a few of my new toys!" Syura pulled his Imperial Arm out of his right sleeve and placed his hand together. "Behold my Imperial Arms! Shambhala!" Syura yelled. A large purple ring had surrounded the two. It appeared to have a Yin-Yang symbol in the middle.

"What's happening?" Tatsumi asked as he's looking at the light.

And before they knew it, they were sent to another location. It is a place with sandy beaches, palm trees with coconuts, a forest, an ocean. It was the middle of the afternoon, the sun was out, there were a few clouds in the sky.

Tatsumi was shocked at the scenery. "WHERE THE HELL ARE WE!?" he yelled.

"Ms. Esdeath, can you hit me really hard for a moment?" Tatsumi asked.

"Why?" She asked looking at Tatsumi.

"Because I want to see if this was still a dream."

Tatsumi closed his eyes. "I want you to give me a signal before ya—" kicked Tatsumi in the face. "Garh!" sending him flying to a palm tree. "Ow!" Tatsumi groaned as he felt the pain. When he was getting up, a coconut then fell on top of Tatsumi's head causing a small hickey to stick out. "Ow, dammit, that hurt! I wasn't finished!" Tatsumi yelled as he's rubbing his hickey.

"You said, hit you really hard and so I did." She answered glaring at him. "And for the record, Ieyasu. If you want to live, do NOT yell at me again." She said giving him the Scary Eye and produced dark aura.

Tatsumi then cringed and gulped. "Yes ma'am." He said in a quiet scared voice.

Esdeath then looked back at the ocean. "Now, it seems that we're not in an illusion. Our surroundings are too real. The cold breeze blowing through the winds, the warm sunshine, everything around us is true." Esdeath stated.

"So, what happened?" Tatsumi asked.

"I assumed it was caused by the man we saw. Somehow he managed to transport us." She said.

"It couldn't be possible, right?" Tatsumi asked.

"The Empire has 48 Imperial Arms. There's a rumor that a secret lost nation was used to manipulate time and space itself." She said.

Tatsumi gasped. "But… that's crazy!" Tatsumi said then thought about the time he first summoned Incursio. _'But wait… doesn't that happen everytime I summon Incursio? Man, If I think of it about that, it kinda freaks me out!' _he thought to himself as his body had begun to shake.

Esdeath placed her hand on her chin and looked at the sky. "Out of all of the Imperial Arms, I can only think of a handful that can control space. But, who was that man?" she asked herself.

"What now, miss Esdeath?" he asked.

"Let's take a look around." Esdeath then placed her hand on the sand. "Ieyasu. Hang on tight." She said.

Tatsumi looked at Esdeath confused. "Hang on tight? Wh—" Before Tatsumi could finish asking why, Esdeath summoned a large thick pillar of ice. "Whhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" he screamed. As he opened his eyes, he gasped at the height and the scenery of the ocean. "Holy shit. There's nothing but the ocean! And look how high we are!" Tatsumi mentioned.

"Yes, it is." Esdeath then looked at Tatsumi. "You never know what can happen when dealing with Imperial Arms, in my line of work, you need to be experienced and able to adapt immediately." She said.

"I'm sure you do." Tatsumu pouted.

"Uh!" Esdeath and Tatsumi both noticed that there is a Danger Beast that has uprisen from the ocean floors.

"Well, he's a big fellow." Esdeath noted.

'_It looks like that freaky Jaeger Doctor Stylish's Imperial Arms after using his Trump Card. Even with Night Raid working together, it was a good fight, thanks to having Susanoo and Chelsea a lot sooner. If they weren't there, we would've been goners.'_ Tatsumi then thought back when Dr. Stylish attacked their hideout. Chelsea and Susanoo were recently recruited before Dr. Stylish's raid. _'Do the two of us even stand a chance?' _Tatsumi looked at Esdeath. _'Wait… this is my chance to find out what Esdeath is truly made of. I have to observe so Night Raid could beat her.' _

The Danger Beast spotted the two and and charged towards them. "It's coming towards us!" Tatsumi yelled.

Esdeath placed a hand towards Tatsumi's face. "Stand back, Ieyasu." Esdeath then put her hands together and released dozens of large Ice Shards out of thin air. "You deserved to be impaled by me. Weissschnabel!" Esdeath yelled, as the shards were sent shooting towards the Danger Beast. Moments later, the Danger Beast was later impaled by dozens of large shards thoughout its body. The Danger Beasts gave out a dying howl as it collapsed.

Tatsumi stared at Esdeath's bakside. _'The rumors are true. She can control ice just as that Flare guy can control fire. I can't believe how strong she is.' _He thought to himself.

"Ah?" Esdeath looked up and saw the Danger Beast getting back up. "You're still standing." She said.

"Miss Esdeath, do you see that spot on its forehead? I'm guessing that's the weakspot." Tatsumi pointed out.

"Good eyes, Ieyasu." Esdeath said as she patted Tatsumi on the head. "Now, I know how to kill it!" She placed her hand on the ice pillar and summoned a giant spike on the side. The spike end up hitting the Danger Beast's torso. "Got you." She said.

Tatsumi then jumped on the side pillar and rand towards the Danger Beast with his sword out. Tatsumi then gave out a charge cry.

"Ieyasu!" Esdeath called out.

Tatsumi then jumped and pierced the host's torso killing it completely. The Danger Beast's large body finally collapse.

"Well done, Ieyasu. You must be stronger than I thought." Esdeath complimented. "!" Another humanoid Danger Beast appeared out of nowhere and grabbed the large ice pillar.

Tatsumi looked back and noticed there was another one attacking the large ice pillar. "Look, another one!" Tatsumi yelled.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of this one!" she said. Esdeath then snapped her fingers and summoned a large sphere made of ice out of thin air and the size of a miniature moon. "Hagelsprung!" she yelled. The beast was able to catch the large sphere before falling and getting crushed by its weight. "It's done." Esdeath said as she stood on top of her ice sphere.

"I can't believe the size of that thing." Tatsumi said as his eyes widened in shock. _'So this is General Esdeath, and this is how she fights. Akame… how the hell are you going to kill her?' _Tatsumi thought.

Ten minutes later, Esdeath and Tatsumi searched the entire area for more of those kind of Danger Beasts.

"I'm guessing those were the last of the Danger Beasts." Tatsumi said.

Esdeath took out a book and started writing down information. "So that's what he meant by his toys. This island must've been where he's been hiding these new Danger Beasts." She said.

"So, what do you want to do now?" Tatsumi asked.

"First we will explore the island." She stated.

"Good idea, there's a lot going on in this forest we don't know about." He said.

"We need to stay calm. We can't cause a panic." She said in a calm composure.

"Alright, let's get to work!" he said as he stood up. _'Wait.. did I really say that? She's the enemy… remember.'_

"Hm…" In her book, it was revealed that Esdeath was drawing Flare on one page and herself with Flare on another page. _'Flare…' _she blushed of thinking about Flare.

Hours later, they spent time exploring the forest together gathering fruit, hunting animals, looking at plants. Doing all sorts of thing throughout the island.

It is night time and the crescent moon is out. Esdeath is sitting on the sand looking at the sky, and Tatsumi is standing while looking towards the ocean.

"Boy. That sure was a day today." Tatsumi said.

"Yes. I agree. I also figured out where we are." She said.

"What? Really?" Tatsumi asked.

"Yes, this island is only south east to the Empire." Esdeath stated.

"What? You've got to be kidding me… I had no idea we were so far away." he said.

"That's right, we are. I remember, I've been to this island before and I know how to get back." She said.

Tatsumi gasped out of relief.

"But in order to get back, I am going to need your full cooperation." Esdeath got up and started walking.

"R-Right!" Tatsumi got up and started following her. _'I have a real bad feeling about this… If things get bad, I'll just make a break for it. All I can do is hope I get out of here!' _Tatsumi thought.

Ten minutes of walking, Esdeath and Tatsumi found the same place where they were transported and found a purple circle in the sand.

Esdeath examined the circle. "Just as I thought, the secret wasn't WHERE he transported us." Esdeath stated.

"So, does that mean he can only transport to places that have this mark, or something?" Tatsumi asked.

"By the size of the marking, I say it only works on a few people at a time. And it must use a large portion of energy in order to use it." Esdeath said.

"So you think if we stay by this spot…" Tatsumi had begun to say.

"The gate shall open again eventually. But that's just the first hunch of getting back." Esdeath said.

"Then, what's the second?" Tatsumi asked.

"We find a Danger Beast we can ride on There are quite a few Danger Beasts that will let you ride on their back. Sometimes, they are more difficult to throw you off."

"Boy do I really need to get back to my family." Tatsumi said scratching his back.

"So you're a family man?" She said.

"N-no! It's not like that! I just have to get back to my sisters, that's all!" Tatsumi said nervously. _'That reminds me. I have to get back and report to the boss as swift as possible.' _He thought to himself.

"Speaking of which, I need to get back to. There's someone who's waiting for me." She said as she sat down on the sand and placed her hand on her chest and couldn't help think about Flare. _'Oh Flare. Where are you? Are you still alive? Because if you are, we'll find each other. It won't be long. I just know it.'_ she thought to herself.

Tatsumi looked at the sky and found an Air Manta. "Miss Esdeath, look! There's a Danger Beast!" Tatsumi pointed out.

Esdeath spotted it as well and got up. "And there it is. That's too bad. I'll be right back." Esdeath stood up on het two feet from the sand and begun to chase it.

"Wait, how do you plan on catching it? It's too high in the sky!" Tatsumi asked.

"I'll train it after I shoot it down." She replied.

Tatsumi sighed as Esdeath is running. A couple of seconds later, the Shambhala portal reopened causing Tatsumi to jump up. "Ah!" Tatsumi gasped. "Crap, it opened! This is my chance!" he said with an exciting voice. He then thought about Esdeath. _'But, she did look after me. I should return the favor.' _He then slapped his own cheeks together. "No, this isn't the time. Everyone needs me. I need to go back as soon as possible." Tatsumi sighed. "Here goes nothing!" Tatsumi said as he ran towards the portal.

From a distance, Esdeath decided to look back and saw Tatsumi entering the portal. "Ieyasu, wait for me! Don't go in there!" she yelled, but her words fell deaf to his ears. He knew Esdeath was talking to him, but chose to ignore it.

Her words didn't reach him. So she had no choice but to forget about the Danger Beast and run after Tatsumi. As she crossed through the portal, she discovered that she was back at Mount Fake and the sun was rising. Esdeath then looked around the peak to look for Tatsumi. "Ieyasu, are you here?" she asked but heard no response. "Did he really get away in a matter, or was he summoned from another location?" she asked herself.

Tatsumi has already transform into Incursio and used his Trump Card, Invisibility. He is already fleeing from the scene he could escape General Esdeath's radar. "I'm glad I didn't warn her, or she might have caught up to me as well. Somehow, I can feel it. Something is coming very soon, and the next time we meet will be on the battlefield. I just know it." He said as he kept running and jumping from rock to rock.

"Damn, I lost him. I can't detect his aura." She said. "Well, I better go look around, hopefully he's not dead." She spent ten minutes searching from one peak after another. All she found was nothing but rocks and the corpses of the Danger Beasts she sliced up. "This is getting tiresome. I'll just go back to the capital. Luckily Flare will—" before she could finish her sentence, she heard sensed a faint energy. _'It's really faint...' this energy. Could it be?' _She looked down over the peak and spotted Flare's unconscious body. She gasped and jumped down. "Flare!"

End Flashback

"And that's what happened."

"Wow. I can't believe that guy Ieyasu just abandoned you like that." Flare said.

"No matter. It won't be the last time I see him." Esdeath told him. "And besides... he's not the real threat, here." Esdeath remembered the dark skinned man in the yellow coat. "He wielded an Imperial Arm that transported Ieyasu and I to a remote island."

Flare gasped, as he knew whom she was talking about. Syura, the son of the Prime Minister. "I know who you mean."

"You do?"

"He's the guy who did THIS to me." Flare pointed at his throat. He called himself, "The Great Syura." And he also labelled himself as the Minister's son.

Esdeath gasped, then stood in silence. "I see... Syura."

"You know him?" Flare asked.

"Not in person. The Minister mentioned that he had a son traveling the world a few times. But I never thought that it was him who used those Danger Beasts. And to top it all off, he... hurt you you really bad."

"What are you gonna do?" Flare asked.

"Don't you worry, my love. I'm filing an official complaint." Esdeath said, as she glared forward.

* * *

**Author's Note : I had Esdeath call Tatsumi Ieyasu. because she has no idea what Tatsumi looks like, she heard of the name, but never seen his picture. So it's only a matter of time until Esdeath find out who he really is. There is no romance between Esdeath and Tatsumi.**


	16. The Ambush

A few days later, the Jaegers had entered a certain town and they are grouped at a nearby waterfall. Flare, Seryu, Bols, and Run had strawberry treats. Kurome held her bag of treats. Everyone was standing while Seryu sat at the edge of the fountain.

"Najenda is still heading east and Akame is moving to the south. We have witnesses who have testify that they have came to town together and left separately.

Koro opened its mouth and tried to take a bite out of Seryu's snack without her looking but failed. Seryu quickly moved her snack out of Koro. "No. This is my snack, you're get yours later." Seryu told Koro. Koro then pouted.

"If they are going east, then they're gonna reach the Path of Peace from Kyrukku. But if they go south, they'll be in an area that supports the Revolutionary Army. Either way, it is very suspicious." Bols stated.

"We can cut them off if we move quickly enough. Let's go!" Wave told Esdeath.

"Not so fast, Wave. Night Right Raid is well known throughout the capital. And they're fully aware of the wanted posters around the city. Our guards were able to track them ever since they showed up. The question of the day is… why would they allow themselves to be seen? It feels just too easy." Esdeath said.

"Way too easy if you ask me." Flare said.

Run nodded his head "Right. I think it's most definitely a trap. They must've wanted us to see them." Run said.

"They were trying to get us out of the castle and take us out one-by-one so they could defeat us." Seryu said.

"That's the way Najenda fights. With a calm head and a burning heart." Esdeath said.

"You're saying we shouldn't follow her?" Wave asked.

"No. She's not getting away. After playing it safe, and waiting for so long, Night Raid has finally came into the light. I don't give a damn if it is a trap. Whatever stands in our way, we're crush them!" Seryu said with passion. "Run, Seryu. You two help me catch Najenda." She ordered while looking at Seryu and Run.

"Roger that!" Run and Seryu said.

"Flare, Wave, Kurome and Bols. You four go out and catch Akame." Esdeath ordered while looking at the remaining four.

"Roger!" the remaining four said.

"Heh heh." Kurome chuckled sadistically.

"Always be aware of your surroundings. If you feel like you're being outnumbered, you are free to retreat. Fight hard at your best, but do not play the decoy. These are the last threats to the capital. "Esdeath threw a fist in the air." Trap them and finish them off!" Esdeath yelled.

"Roger that!" Everyone said all eager.

'_This is it… we're actually doing this.' _Flare said as he looked at Esdeath.

Moments later after the split, Flare, Bols, Wave and Kurome are riding horseback through the canyon. "We are about to face the most dangerous criminals in the capital. Do you think I'll match up against them, Flare?" Bols asked Flare.

"Huh?" Flare dozed off for a second. "I'm sorry what was that again?" Flare asked.

"I'm asking you if I'm able to match up against Night Raid." Bols repeated himself.

"Well, yeah. Sorry, I couldn't stop thinking about these Assassins that we're about to face. Last time I fought Night Raid, I almost died and Seryu and I were able to catch one of them." Flare stated.

Kurome looked back at Flare through the corner of her eye as she listen on to Flare and Bols' conversation.

"That must've been a tough battle." Wave said.

"Yeah, the reason I nearly died was because I never fought assassins in my life before." Flare couldn't help think about when he and Seryu fought Sheele and Mine. "Now I know what I'm up against. And to be honest, I'm really excited.

Wave rode his horse closer towards Flare and Bols "Well guys, I never fought assassins before, but I know this is supposed to be one hell of a job." Wave said.

"Yeah. Night Raid shouldn't be able to get through Grand Chariot. I doubt they know most of our Imperial Arms. Except Me, Seryu, and General Esdeath." Flare said.

Well I'm sure we can win if we work together. With both of your Imperial Arms that can shoot fire, you both are gonna become great assets to the team!" Wave said.

"Thanks." Bols said.

"Right." Flare said.

"You know you're sweet and all Wave, but you're probably be the first one to get knocked to the sidelines." Kurome said then chuckled.

"What? Are you saying that I'm a liability?" Wave argued.

"Yep. That's pretty much a foreshadowing." Kurome said.

"Why you…" Wave had begun to say. "Look, I wasn't there for Dr. Stylish, but..."

"Please don't argue you guys." Bols said, as he tried to keep the peace.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me. Bols. You were allies with Akame in the past, right?" Flare asked.

"Right." Bols answered.

"On a scale of one-to-ten how dangerous is she?" Flare asked.

Bols put a hand on his chin "Hm… Never thought of it like that. Oh, I would say—"

"A thirteen at best." Kurome cut off Bols and answered.

"Th-thirteen! No way, she must be super badass if she were able to pass the charts!" Flare said in shock.

"I know my sister better than anyone. And I'm gonna be the one to put her down."

"Look! Something up ahead!" Wave pointed out.

"What is that?" Flare asked.

"Some kind of scarecrow?" Kurome guessed.

"It looks very suspicious to me." Bols said in all honesty. "But, why would it just be out here of all places?"

A muscular scarecrow with a white ball for a head appeared before them out in the open. The horses stopped in their tracks. The four Jaegers got off the horses and walked closer. From the top of the rock, there was a sniper aiming the four Jaegers. The person who is using the sniper is Mine. She is on her stomach looking through the scope and her finger on the trigger trying to figure out who to shoot.

'_The targets are in sight. I only see four. Esdeath must've split them up. I guess she couldn't resisted going after the boss. The plan seems to be working.' _Mine silently chuckled. She looks at Flare through the scope. _'It's that bastard who kidnapped Sheele!' _Mine silently gritted her teeth. She then saw Kurome. As she is looking at Kurome, she start to see a great resemblance to Akame. Mine gasped, then sat up. _'She look so much like Akame… which is why Akame shouldn't be the one to kill her…' _Mine stood up aiming at Kurome. '_All I need is one clean shot.' _Mine thought with zero chills, zero hesitation.

Flare stopped and sensed something weird. It's not human. _'Wait… I sense something from that scarecrow. But what is it?' _

"What's the matter, Flare?" Wave asked.

"I don't know… but I'm definitely sensing something from that scare-

'_Eat this, you dick.' _Mine switched back to Flare and pulled the trigger and a shot fired kilometers away. The beam was heading straight for Flare.

"That scarecrow must be-" Before Flare could finish sentence, Flare quickly used his Flame Intangibility towards his head in order to evade the speed light bullet. The speed light bullet was a quarter of a second fast.

_'I forgot he could do that. Dammit, n_ot_ again!' _Mine was shocked to see him use his intangibility.

"What the hell was that?" Wave asked in shock.

Kurome traced where the bullet came from and quickly spotted Mine. "Up there." She pointed in Mine's direction. Flare, Bols, and Wave quickly caught on.

"There's no way… someone from that far?" Wave said in shock.

"Were' being ambushed." Bols stated.

Flare sensed something from the scarecrow again. "Everyone backup!" he yelled.

The four Jaegers jumped back and prepared themselves in battle position. Kurome placed her hand on her hilt, Bols grabbed his flamethrower getting ready to torch the enemy, Flare placed himself into a fighting stance, and Wave quickly grabbed Grand Chariot's Key and transformed into Grand Chariot.

The scarecrow broke out and it appears a tall man with horns, blue hair matching his blue eyes, he also wears a white asian robe, and carries a long sharp hammer. His name is Susanoo. He break out heading straight for Kurome.

"Look out!" Wave yelled. As he sees the man heading for Kurome, he quickly jumped in front of her crossing his arms to deal with the blow from Susanoo's hammer. "Rgh!" Wave tried to press back against the Organic-Type, but didn't know that Susanoo was using one hundred percent of his strength. "GAAAAAAAARGHH!" Wave yelled as he was sent flying yards away from successfully defending Kurome. They all looked at the direction Wave was sent flying.

"Wave!" Flare and Bols yelled.

"And out of the ball park! A home run!" Kurome used a baseball reference.

"Kurome!" Bols called.

"What?" Kurome carelessly asked.

"Too soon!"

"Guys, we have a bigger problem on our hands here." Flare mentioned.

There was woman in an all black suit, short silver hair, purple eyes, an eyepatch over her right eye, and a mechanical green right arm. Her name is Najenda. "Well, the sniper may have missed but at least we got rid of one of you," Najenda said, as three other members of Night Raid appeared alongside her. "Unfortunately, that fellow wasn't even our target." Najenda stated.

"So, it's really Night Raid? And the entire team was together? So the other group was a trap." Bols figured it out.

"Flare. Kurome. Bols." Najenda got the three of their attention. "You three our now considered targets. Get ready to die." Najenda said pointing at them.

Flare looked at Najenda. _'So this must be Najenda, the former leader that defected from the Empire. She doesn't seem that much, though.' _He then turned his attention towards Akame. _'It's her. I guess she didn't come to talk, huh?' _Flare then looked at Tatsumi who is inside of Incursio Armor. _'Who the hell's inside that armor?' _Flare asked himself, then turned to last but not least, Leone. _'She looks like she's wearing some kind of cosplay. And plus...' _Flare stared at her bosom in irritation. _'She couldn't find anything else to wear?' _he silently judged her attire.

"Targets..." Bols started reminiscing about his past of burning people to death. "I've burned countless people alive, so I knew there would there be a reckoning for me one day," Bols then thought about his wife and daughter. "...However" Bols pulled his flamethrower up and was ready to charge. "I cannot allow myself to die!" Bols said.

"Bols. Remember our promise. We said we'd get through this once the war is over and atone for your sins." Flare said causing him to remember back in the kitchen.

"Oh, right. Thanks, Flare." Bols said in a calmer composure.

"Sorry you two, but that's not going to happen." Najenda said.

"Akame." Kurome said.

"Kurome. "Akame said.

Kurome placed her hands together. "I've been dying to see you again. How nice." Both Kurome and Akame slowly opened her Imperial Arms from their sheaths. "When I kill you myself, you will be added to my collection. Now wouldn't that be wonderful?" she asked in an exciting manner. Kurome then raised her Yatsufusa in the air and summoned a dark purple ball. It then shot dark purple lightning at the ground for at least ten seconds.

'_What the hell is she doing?' _Flare thought to himself as he watched the ground. Seconds later, reanimated people rose from the ground. _'Wait, bodies risen from the ground! Is that what she meant back then?' _Flare then remembered back when Flare was examining the Jaegers, he remembered what Kurome said_. "After this is over, I'll get to use you like precious little dolls."_ "It must've been what she meant."

"Is this an earthquake?" Tatsumi asked.

A giant skeleton Danger Beast called Desta-Ghoul had finally risen from the ground. "You really improved since last we met. Now I can command any corpse I choose!" Kurome said as she jumped onto Desta-Ghoul's hand. "Pretty cool, right?" Kurome asked leaving the four Night Raid members speechless. "I can even control S-Class Danger Beast fossils now." She chuckled.

'_I took a gamble on whether Esdeath split up her party… now I know why. If she's really using Yatsufusa, then it's going to take more than a little trap to throw her off.'_ Najenda scoffed. "However…" Najenda then turned to Flare. _'That guy can control fire just like Esdeath can control Ice. The reason I made him a target was because he would've been far more powerful while with Esdeath.' _Najenda then took her battle stance. "Everyone. Prepare yourself!" Najenda yelled.

"Roger that!" Akame, Tatsumi, Leone, Mine, and Susanoo yelled.

"This is it… one of the greatest battles of my life…" Flare then ignited his hands with flames.

Kurome jumped on top of Desta-Ghoul's head. "Well well, a battle between multiple Imperial Arms. Let's see how this turn out. Who will live? And who will die?" She said raising her arms up in the air. Everyone on the battle then took their stances and had prepared to fight. Kurome chuckled.

* * *

**Author's Note: Flare is now labelled as a target by Night Raid, because of his potential as an Elemental-Type user, like Esdeath. Najenda fears that if Flare remains around Esdeath any longer, he'll maybe become unstoppable for Night Raid to defeat. Thumbs up. **


	17. The Fight in the Pass

Night Raid has now ambushed half of the Jaegers and had expected to gain the upper hand by numbers until, Kurome had summoned her puppets. Now Kurome had turned the tables on in numbers. Flare and Bols stood side by side. Technically, there were seven Night Raid members against eleven Jaegers, counting Kurome's puppets.

**"RRRRRUUUAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHAHHHH!"** the Desta-Ghoul shrieked.

Flare stared at the giant Danger Beast of a skeleton. _'That thing is huge! Can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm happy Kurome's with us.' _Flare thought to himself.

'_The more puppets she uses, the more stamina it drains from her._' Akame thought as she then steadied her blade, as she prepares for action.

_'Akame!' _Tatsumi noticed that Akame was going to make the first move.

"I can use this to my advantage!" Akame sprinted over towards the Danger Beast.

"Akame, wait!" Tatsumi yelled.

_'There she is.'_ Flare saw Akame heading towards the Desta-Ghoul. _'Not on my watch.' _Flare had begun to jump and climb onto the Desta-Ghoul's boned leg.

Akame jumped onto the Desta-Ghoul's foot, than onto its knee, than to its arm to its shoulder to the top of its head. As she got to the top of its head. She quickly spotted and charged towards Kurome. "Ha!" Akame grunted as she swung her Murasame towards Kurome, which was then blocked by Kurome's Yatsufusa. The two sisters had clashed swords once again. "Tch!" Akame grunted as she struggled, while Kurome is calm and level-headed.

Kurome smiled at Akame with confidents. The dark-haired sisters clashed with their respectable Imperial Arms a few more times, before Akame jumped into the air. She then dived back down towards Kurome "Ha!" She yelled as she swung at Kurome, but her swung was encountered by an undead Natala's weapon, **Trisula.**

Akame gasped and looked in shock when she recognized Natala's face. "Natala!" Natala then engaged in close quarters combat. Akame then jumped a few inches back. "How could you, Kurome? He was your partner. You grew up together. Put him to rest already!" Akame yelled, as she was placed on defense.

Flare had climbed onto the top of Desta-Ghoul's head. _'I made it…' _Flare then noticed Kurome and another person fighting Akame. _'So, they really are sisters. I need to prepare myself.' _Flare stood there waiting for an opening to attack Akame.

"How could you say that, Akame?" Kurome charged towards and once again clashed swords with Akame. "I just wanted him to stay closer to me as possible, forever and ever. He's my special friend." Kurome said as she easily passed by Akame.

"He's nothing but a walking corpse!" Akame yelled.

"I want the same thing to happen to you, to add to my collection… so we could be together forever." Kurome said.

Flare listened to their conversation as they clash. 'She_ reanimated her best friend? That, I would not agree with. I would rather have my friends die in peace, then have them be used as puppets.'_

"Not in your life!" Akame yelled as she is about to swing at Kurome. Before she could, she noticed Flare's presence. '_He's here as well?' _At that moment, she was distracted. Akame then noticed Natala in close range but was too late to react in time. Akame took a boot to the left side of the face by the undead Natala. "Ack!" Akame groaned as she was kicked off of Desta-Ghoul's head and sent flying off by Natala.

"Too bad, so sad." Kurome said.

Bols then charged up his Imperial Arms, Rubicante. "Magma Drive!" Bols yelled as he fired a fireball towards Akame who was slowly falling in midair.

'_His Imperial Arms could use ranged attacks?' _Akame thought as she saw a fireball heading straight for her. _'It's no use. I can't dodge it!'_

Tatsumi then jumped into midair and caught Akame in his arms and barely evaded the fireball attack. "Akame, listen to me. Don't take them on alone. This isn't like you." He caused her to snap back into reality.

"I'm sorry." Akame then looked and saw Flare doing something. "Tatsumi-"

While in midair, Flare took advantage of the two assassins in midair and unleashed a flamethrower-like attack at Tatsumi, hitting Tatsumi's backside. Tatsumi shielded Akame while in midair. "Garg!" Tatsumi groaned from the pain. Flare's fire attack to Tatsumi's back was heavy and it sent both Tatsumi and Akame crashing down to the ground.

"Tatsumi! Akame!" Leone yelled.

Akame gained minimal damage from the crash, but Tatsumi gain some damage to the back. His Incursio cape was burned off. Akame and Tatsumi got back up.

"We're alright, big sis." Tatsumi sat up. _'Damn, that was a heavy blow. Good thing I'm wearing Incursio. If I hadn't worn this, Flare would've roasted me alive.' _Tatsumi placed his arm on his backside. _'My cape is gone, though.' _He noted. "These guys won't go down without a fight."

The Desta-Ghoul took Kurome and Natala from its head and placed its hand on the side of the pass to make a bridge for them. Kurome then walked off of its hand. "Big Sister. It's a shame you left with the Empire and sided with them… Desta-Ghoul. CRUSH THEM!" Kurome ordered.

"EVERYONE TAKE COVER!" Najenda shouted.

The Desta-Ghoul slowly gathered up energy within its mouth. The members of Night Raid knew what was coming next. They fled to avoid the upcoming attack. Flare and Bols quickly ran behind the Desta-Ghoul to take shelter. The Desta-Ghoul then shot a large energy wave filling up one side of the canyon pass destroying everything in its way.

A giant dust cloud had formed in the aftermath. After the dust had cleared, the terrain had become completely different do to Desta-Ghoul's attack.

Mine saw the shockwave while hiding behind a tree. "S-Class Danger Beasts are worse than I thought! It's terrifying!" she said in shock.

Flare and Bols are safe from the blast, due to hiding behind Desta-Ghoul_. 'Oh man. That was a close one. If I had been caught in the blast, I would've been wiped off of the face of the earth.'_ Flare thought.

"You alright, Flare?" Bols asked.

"Yes, I'm fine." Flare responded.

"Do you think the Desta-Ghoul got them?" Bols asked.

"No. Their auras are all the same. They all made it." Flare gasped as he sensed two assassins coming their way. "Bols, they're coming!"

"Got it." Bols hade atken action as he prepared for their arrival.

Leone and Akame quickly appeared before the two Jaegers. Akame drew out her Murasame while Leone started pounding her fist into her other hand. "Well, well. Look we have here…" Leone said eagerly.

"Flare. Stay on your guard." Bols said.

"I know." Flare replied.

Leone snickered. "I can't wait to get a bite out of you two. Especially you, Flare"

Bols prepared his Rubicante and Flare ignited his fists with fire.

Akame then took a step forward. "Eliminate." Akame said before she started charging towards Flare and Bols.

Meanwhile, Kurome sat on top of a bolder and giggled. Looking at the aftermath of the canyon pass. "Well, that changes the landscape." She opened her bag of cookies. 'However…" she then took a bite from one of her cookies. "I know they're alive. They did manage to dodge the blast after all. Night Raid doesn't get their reputation for nothing." Kurome opened a bag filled with drugged cookies.

Miles away, Mine once again grabbed her sniper and this time aimed it at Kurome, who is sitting on a boulder and eating her cookies.

"Got it. Aim for the puppeteer. If she dies, her puppets will stop working. It's like if you destroy the head the entire body collapses." Mine said, looking at Kurome through her scope. But without her knowledge, Natala easily spotted her. Mine gasped, knowing she has been discovered. Natala took his Trisula and expanded its rod yards far away to Mine's location. Mine quickly dodge the Shingu as it struck a tree. As Mine looked at the Shingu, she noticed someone running up the Shingu's rod. Mine looked closer and saw that it was a woman dressed in rodeo clothing. "A gunslinger?" she asked herself as an undead Doya pulled out her two handguns. "This should be fun." she aimed her Pumpkin at Doya as they getting ready to gun fight.

Meanwhile, Flare and Leone had locked in hand-to-hand combat, while Akame dealt with Bols. Flare is more powerful and well trained than Leone in raw physical power and combat due, to training under General Esdeath for a short period of time.

After a short period of time fighting, Flare had landed less than a dozen punches on Leone, while she has at least landed one or two on him. She had a few bruises on her body and begun to fatigue. She fell on one knee and had begun panting.

"This fight is pointless. Just give up already." Flare stood and glanced at Leone with disappointment.

"You know, for a hot guy, you're starting to piss me off…!" Leone growled at him. She then spotted Akame through her corners and noticed that she was fighting Bols.

Akame charged swinging her sword at Bols' fuel tank. "Hyaa!" Akame yelled. Her swing was blocked by a dead man named Wall who crossed his arms. _'Murasame doesn't work on dead targets…' _Wall then sent Akame flying by a kick to the gut, causing her to crash on her side.

Leone then ran, trying aid Akame, leaving Flare where he was.

"H-hey!" Flare saw Leone and attempted to go after her.

"Akame!" Leone yelled, as she ran, a whip attached itself to her leg and tossed her up in the air. "Waaaaah!" she yelled as she was being in midair. "Gah!" She grunted as a dead man named Rokugoh threw Leone to the side of the canyon pass.

Flare saw a man with the whip catch Leone and throw her to the side of the pass and stopped. _'Where did he come from? Wait, is he one another of Kurome's dolls? If so, I don't like it one bit.' _Flare then looked at the other one named Wall. _'That other guy, he took Akame's slash like it's nothing.' _"I guess Murasame don't work on corpses." He muttered. Flare then sensed Akame's energy coming in at a great speed.

Akame quickly approached behind him with her Murasame prepared to kill. "No, but they most certainly work on the living." Akame said.

_'She's so fast!'_ Flare sensed Akame's dark and deadly aura all of a sudden, she was ready to deliver the killing blow. Flare turned his head slightly, Akame quickly speed dashed and swung her Murasame at his neck but failed to slash him due to Flare's intangibility as she phased through him. Flare covered his entire neck to evade the blade. Flare jumped backwards to keep distance between himself and Akame. Flare put a hand on his neck to see if he really was cut, but it turns out that he made it in the nick of time. _'I didn't get cut.'_

After phasing through, Akame had landed on her feet. "How wise. You used your intangibility to evade Murasame."

"Is that a bad thing?" Flare asked.

"No. Using an intangibility to escape a fatal blow is wise. But, if you continue to use that intangibility without cautious, your enemies will see an opening, and it will get you killed." Akame noted.

"Thanks for telling me that. And for the record, I only use it when I'm in fatal situations." Flare said.

Akame chuckled. "That's fine. You're the second to ever survive Murasame." Akame noted as the first person to survive Murasame was Tatsumi, when they met.

"Thanks for telling me that also. You wanna see what else I can do?" Flare jokingly asked Akame. _'I can't use range attacks against her, she's too fast.'_

"I've seen enough already." Akame pointed her Murasame at him. "I'm sorry, I know you're a good person, but I have orders to eliminate you." She said as she prepares to dash towards Flare again. Akame sensed Bols' presence and was able to dodge one of his magma drives from behind.

Bols ran towards Flare. "You alright, Flare?" Bols asked again in concern.

"Barely. She knows about my intangibility. She won't let the next swing slip." Flare said.

"Flare," Bols called.

"Got a plan?" Flare asked looking at his partner.

"Let's work together from now on, okay?" Bols suggested.

"Alright. Better than to be picked apart one by one." Flare smirked.

Kurome than laughed which caught every living person's attention. "Look at this, a battle royal!" Kurome said as she enjoyed watching with the bird's eye view.

"Kurome!" Akame yelled.

"Don't I just have the coolest friends ever? Doya is a Gunslinger was an assassin who worked for the Northern Tribe. You can still see that confidents on her face. Wall was a very famous bodyguard. But he was protecting my target, so I killed him. Apeman was one of my favorites. He's able to use and is extremely hard. Henter was one of the last survivors of a savage tribe. His movements were extremely hard, but in the end I killed him. Rukugoh was an Imperial General. He betrayed us and tried to join the Revolutionary Army, so I killed him. I found this Desta-Ghoul while he was hibernating in a cave. Talk about lucky, am I right?" Kurome asked.

Akame is infuriated with Kurome. "And Natala's been with me since the old days, Akame. He does a great job protecting me whenever Yatsufusa has been activated. I also have one more puppet, but you'll have to wait and see." She said.

Tatsumi gasped. '_No way… she has one more?' _Tatsumi thought in shock.

Minutes later, Najenda and Leone are fighting Rokugoh. Najenda had just ejected her arm in order to punch Rokugoh's body. "General Rokugoh. As a former colleague, I will put an end to your curse as swiftly as possible." Najenda said in a clear voice.

"I don't remember the boss taking action…" Leone smiled. "Alright then, let's do it-"Before Leone could finish her sentence, Kurome quickly dove down and sliced off Leone's left arm in half. "Huh?" Leone didn't have the slightest clue what was happening until she saw her left arm on the ground. Najenda was shocked to see Leone's arm amputated and fell to the ground. She then fell on her knees and groaned in pain. "Ugh!"

"Heh heh." Kurome giggled. "That's why you should never take your eyes off of me. If I see an opening, I'll take it."

Leone held on her left shoulder. "I'll make you pay for this!" Leone yelled.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Has anyone seen my arm?" Kurome laughed as she mocked Leone.

"RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAHH!" Leone yelled as she used her **Lionel** to stop the bleeding.

Kurome sat on top of the rock. "That's impressive. You can stop the bleeding, eh?"

The wind and pebbles were levitating around Leone, and her hair started floating upwards. She then glared at Kurome who sitting on top of the rock above. "You made a mistake messing with me, you little bitch! I'm going to eat you alive!" Leone roared.

"I wanna see you try." Kurome said confidently.

"Do not engage her, Leone." Najenda said calming her down.

"Eh?" Leone thought.

"Remember, she has a bodyguard… for now support Akame. She's currently dealing with two of the three targets. When you're finish, we'll face Kurome together." Najenda started walking towards Rokugoh. "Let the Ex-Generals have one last meeting." She said, as she approached Rokugoh.

"Yes, boss." Leone then looked up at Kurome. "Don't go anywhere. We're not done yet." Leone said before assisting Akame.

"Trust me, I'll be here the whole time. The only person who's going anywhere in this story is you, and that is straight to hell. And to think that you would make a fine doll for my collection.

* * *

Meanwhile, General Esdeath, Seryu, and Run continue to ride on horseback. "I'm surprised we haven't caught up to them by now." Esdeath said breaking the silence.

"It does feel strange, don't you think General Esdeath?" Run asked.

"Perhaps this is a decoy and Kurome's group is he real Night Raid." Esdeath said.

Seryu had a worried look on her face, as she thought about her four comrades. _'Everyone, please be alive...'_

_'Flare… please be alive…' _Esdeath thought about Flare even if he's in trouble. It's too late to turn back. The horses stop and in front of them is a large group of crazy and dangerous thugs. "And now we're running into a large gang of brute thugs." She said, disappointingly.

"Look, she showed up!" a thug pointed out.

"Najenda was good enough to pay us to get rid of you." Another thug pointed out.

"Look, it's General Esdeath. She a pretty thing, ain't she?" another thug said.

"There's a girl with her." A thug pointed out.

"I can't wait to know what they taste like." A thug said.

"So these dirty evil thugs are working with Night Raid." Seryu became angered. _'They seperated me from my Flare. Those demons!'_

"Seryu. Run." Esdeath caught their attention. "Destroy a lot of them, but keep at least a number of six alive for me." Esdeath beaded an eyelash. "I have a few questions I want to ask." Esdeath said in a dark manner.

"Roger that!" Seryu and Run said.

* * *

Meanwhile, Flare, Bols and Kurome's puppet Wall are fending off against Akame. With the aid of Flare, Akame had begun to slowly tire.

'_I can't run towards them, but I do this…' _Akame then gripped Murasame's hilt and ran in a large circle. Akame's running so fast that she's leaving afterimages to fool them. Flare and Bols connected their backs.

'_She's faster than I thought. My body can't react fast enough, but I can still sense her out, though. _Flare closed his eyes begun to focus on her Qi.

'_She's searching for an opening so that when I fire, she'll attack. Very well. I'll give her what she wants.' _Bols' then launched another Magma Drive at one of Akame's afterimages. It turns out, Bols hit the afterimage but not Akame herself.

"There." Akame ran towards Flare with Murasame. Wall once again got in the way with his police shield, but Akame slid under him and had attempted to strike Flare. Without her knowing, Flare had mastered aura under Father Christopher's training. Flare had surrounded his entire body with aura.

"Flare!" Bols yelled.

Akame tried to swing at him again, but Flare stood his ground this time and caught Murasame by the blade with his bare hands.

"Uh!" Akame gasped.

"He caught the blade…" Bols said.

_'He stood his ground and caught Murasame…' _Akame noted.

"Flare. Stay right where you are." Bols said aiming his Rubicante right towards Akame. "I'm gonna finish her."

Akame then looked at Bols and realized something. _'If I don't hurry, I'm going to be burn by Bols' flames...' _At that moment, Akame was stuck with two options. Either she attempt to fight off Flare and get hit by Bols' Magma Drive or let go of Murasame and dodge Magma Drive. Bols had just fired another shot of Magma Drive. Akame had no choice but to let go and dodged by jumping a few feet back, weaponless.

Now Flare has Murasame in his hands and grabbed it by its hilt. "I got it!"

"Flare. Don't let go of Murasame." Bols said.

"Right!" Flare held on to Murasame tightly.

Akame stood there thinking about how she's going to get Murasame back. _'This has never happened before. No one has ever taken Murasame from me unscathed. I need to get it back as soon as possible.'_ Akame cracked her knuckles for a second.

"Akame?" Bols called for her attention. "A question if I may? Why did you join the Revolutionary Army?" Bols asked.

Akame's eyes squinted.

"It would've been so nice to have you…"

Flare looked at Akame. _'That's right. I remember the something about her. Akame was apart of the Empire.' _Flare looked at the Murasame blade.

Referring to the time that Najenda convinced Akame to switch sides some time ago. Akame tried to run away with her little sister Kurome at the time. When her master Gozuki found out about her betrayal, he tried to do away with Akame, but failed and she took his Imperial Arms. When her best friend at the time Tsukushi found out about her, she instantly tried to kill Akame but was cut down by Murasame. Akame was shot multiple times and fell into a riverbank. She was found by Leone and treated. Next thing she knew, she was apart of Night Raid. Akame then thought about the dark times of her past, all the dark deeds she has done for the Empire. Akame then she placed her hand onto her chest.

"I chose Night Raid because it was the right thing to do! My heart told to me to follow the path I believe in!" Akame answered boldly.

_'Her heart told her to follow the path she believes in? Wait… she was with the Empire, and she defected and joined Night Raid... Wait. If she defected, does that mean she knows about the Empire?' _Flare thought to himself.

"I understand your motives… I do. I'm sorry… but I still must eradicate you. No matter what your beliefs are." Bols said in a serious mood.

Flare sensed Leone's aura and looked up only to see Leone's coming down from the pass. As he looks closer, he noticed Leone's missing an arm.

"I have to get on this one… I'm just itching to finish a fight here." Leone said with confidants.

Akame noticed Leone without an arm and started to worry. "Leone…"

"Don't worry about it. Let's just concentrate on the mission for now, okay? Leone winked at Akame.

"Be careful… they are strong. And Flare has my Murasame." Akame said.

"Yeah, whatever. Let's waste these three so we can get Kurome. I know you're strong enough to get your sword back." Leone said.

Akame smiled back. "Right."

In Kurome's situation, yawned after watching the others fight. "My snack breaks keep getting shorter and shorter. I wonder if Wave's alright." Kurome started reminiscing about Wave. "He was wearing his Grand Chariot armor, so he should be fine. He should be back any minute now I'm sure media wouldn't kill off Wave like that." Kurome stopped sensing three of her puppets. "What? Rokugoh, Apeman and Henter stopped moving?" Kurome grabbed her Yatsufusa. "It's time. I was saving my last two puppets after losing two or three of them. Now that they're gone, I should step in, too. Oh, and before I forget, I should set another trap.

* * *

Meanwhile, Wave is now sprinting towards the scene is. _'It's a good thing that I was wearing that Grand Chariot armor. If I hadn't I probably would be dead.' _Wave thought about the time he took the blow for Kurome. _'I have to get back or Flare, Bols, and Kurome won't make it. Especially Kurome. Despite what she thinks, she could be pretty helpless.' _"Hang on, you guys… I'm COMING! Please don't die!" Wave shouted as he continued sprinting.

* * *

Mine has now been caught by the Keiser Frog's tongue. "Ew! What is this nasty thing!?" she yelled.

Kurome ran over to the scene. "That was quick, it already caught someone." Mine is struggling while she is wrapped around by the Keiser Frog's tongue. "This is my new recruit, the Keiser Frog. Its stomach acid quickly dissolves anything it eats. And it's very deadly." Kurome stated.

"Why the hell are you saying this to me!" Mine yelled.

"Because, you're about to die." Kurome then chuckled.

"Put me down!" Mine yelled again.

"Oh yeah, Seryu told me something about your purple-haired friend." Kurome brought up Sheele.

"Ah!" Mine gasped, as she remembered the image of Seryu pummeling Sheele that night in the park.

"She told me she wanted to kill her very very badly, but my teammate, Flare over there convinced her to imprison your friend instead. If I was Seryu I would've killed her no matter how he felt." Kurome said.

'_He… he did that?' _Mine thought about Flare. "No way… I don't believe you! Not for one secoooooooond!" Mine yelled as she was getting pulled into the Keiser Frog's mouth.

"Bye-bye, pink girl." Kurome said in a dark manner." Kurome then patted the Keiser Frog's mouth. "Good boy!" Kurome said treating it like a dog.

Natala turned around and saw Tatsumi. "Stop right there, Kurome. Don't think I'm going easy on you just because you're Akame's little sister." Tatsumi gripped his spear.

Kurome turned and faced Tatsumi. "You just don't know when to quit now do you, Tatsumi?" Kurome said his name in a dark tone. "This guy right here, his name is Natala. He's ten times stronger than Apeman.

Moments later, Tatsumi and Natala are clashing with each other in spear combat. _'He's on par with me while I'm wearing Incursio. No. He's much stronger!' _Tatsumi stated as they kept fighting.

Kurome then giggled as she watched them fight. "It's all just a little game. My puppets never tire out because they're already dead." Kurome stated. Kurome heard weird noises from the Keiser Frog. "Huh? What's wrong little guy?" Kurome saw parts of the Keiser Frog getting ready to burst. "Wait, she's still fighting? There's no way she could be fighting off all of that acid." Kurome gasped, when she saw the large holes in its body. "Aw, its leaking. It's no use now." Kurome said as she put a hand on her head. "Huh?" Kurome saw a giant hole coming from the top. "Oh."

Kurome slowly climbed out of the whole moaning and groaning while holding onto her Pumpkin. When she finally climbed out, her dress in some areas had melted. Her chest was nearly revealed, and Mine was embarrassed and angry at the same time. "Alright… where's that BITCH!" Mine shouted.

"What were you doing in there?" Tatsumi asked.

"Oh I don't know I just jumped into this frog's mouth because I heard there was sauna in there—what the fuck you think I was in there for?! You could've helped me you know…! And stop looking at me like that, pervert!" Mine yelled pointing at him.

"How could you tell where I'm looking?" Tatsumi asked all embarassed.

"Enough arguing, you two." Mine and Tatsumi looked at Najenda while being carried Susanoo in his Trump Card state. "We have a battle to win, remember?" she asked.

"It's the boss!" Mine said.

"What happened to Susanoo? Why does he look so cool?" Tatsumi asked.

_'They even got rid of Desta-Ghoul.' _Kurome thought.

Najenda turned her attention towards Kurome "You wanted to know how many would die, Kurome? I have the answer for you." She said implying that Kurome is going to die.

Kurome then smiled. "So you think I'm going to die, right?" Kurome asked then pulled Yatsufusa from her sheath. "Alright. I just have to kill every last one of you. Then you could be my precious puppets forever." Kurome said with confidents.

Suddenly, Wave had arrived in his Grand Chariot armor. "Kurome! I'm here!"

"Took you long enough..." Kurome said.

Tatsumi, whom is in his Incursio armor had spotted Wave, whom is in his Grand Chariot armor. _'It's Wave.' _he remembered his first fight with Wave.

"Stop right there, Night Raid!" Wave took a fighting stance, then noticed Najenda. "You're Najenda, the leader of Night Raid. If I take you down, then the Revolutionary Army will crumble!"

Tatsumi and the newly transformed Susanoo stepped in front of Najenda to protect her. "Then you have to get through these two first.

Meanwhile, Flare and Bols continued to fight Akame and Leone. Akame had retrieved her Murasame. It wasn't easy, they had to take risks in order to get it back. Akame had gotten a few scratches here and there as they brawled over Murasame. So has Leone, but her healing factor has been kicking in. Bols is fine, but Flare has taken a few blows from Akame. The four continued to fight. Each of them knew that the more they fight, the more stamina would drain. As Leone stood their panting, she had just thought of a plan.

"Akame." Leone called.

"What is it, Leone?" Akame answered.

"Let's do that thing where we fight together." Leone smirked.

Akame then thought of and knew what she was talking about. "You mean..."

"Yeah, that one." Leone chuckled.

"Flare. They're plotting something. Stay on your guard." Bols said.

"Right." FLare then placed his hands together to prepare for another attack. Bols charged and prepared his Rubicante for the next blow.

"Let's go!" Leone yelled then charged towards the duo.

"Right!" Akame then ran in after Leone.

"Flarethrower!" Flare yelled as he placed his hands together and unleashed the flamethrower with both hands forward.

**Flarethrower. **A regular flamethrower attack, but Flare just changed the letter M to the letter R. Flarethrower.

Bols then fired his Rubicante once more towards the two women. Akame and Leone dodged and ran to each side of them.

Flare noticed that Akame and Leone moved to each side of them. 'What_ are they-' _Akame and Leone jumped into midair towards each other.

Bols gasped. "They jumped. Why would they do that? They can't dodge up their..." Bols then aimed Rubricante at the two in midair.

As Akame and Leone were about to pass each other threw midair, Leone grabbed Akame's ankle. As she does, Leone started spinning herself and Akame clockwise.

"Hey..." Flare had begun to notice their plan.

"NOW!" Leone yelled as she threw Akame towards Flare and Bols. Akame was calm and ready to strike them with Murasame.

Bols gasped as he saw Akame shooting towards them. Wall then ran forward and jumped towards Akame.

_'If the bodyguard is going to keep getting in our way, then we'll gonna have to eliminate him first!' _Akame changed her sights from Flare and Bols to the bodyguard. While in midair, Akame ducked her head from Wall's backhand then sliced off his legs with Murasame.

"No!" Bols said as he watched Akame slice Wall's legs then pointed Rubricante towards Akame while she was coming down for them.

Just as Bols was distracted, Leone then dashed in first. _'They're both locked on Akame and their bodyguard isn't able to help them anymore.' _Leone stated as she kept moving towards them. As she was at least a foot away from reaching Flare, Leone felt something struck her right arm. _'What the hell...' _Leone silently groaned from the pain. _'Sneaky bastard!'_

Flare then sensed Leone then turned his head to the right and saw Leone coming in near close range.

_'Damn it! He spotted me!' _Leone thought.

_'No. Not another surprise attack. I won't allow it.' _Flare then placed his arms in an X cross formation, then summoned a ring of flames around himself and Bols.

Bols noticed a circle surrounding himself and Flare "What the-" he then looked at Flare. "Flare, is this your-" Bols then noticed Leone was coming closer. "I see."

"Stay close to me!" Flare yelled. **Flame Dome. **It is an attack a move that surrounds the user in a ring of fire and those who are within it. Then the flames from the ring rise up ans covers the user inside of the dome.

_'What's he doing?' _Akame thought as she was slowly coming down in midair. "Uh!" Akame then realized.

_'Oh no!' _Leone had sensed danger coming. Leone had no choice but to jump a few feet back to avoid Flare's upcoming attack.

_'I can't escape!' _Akame was too close towards the upcoming blast. She could not escape from midair. The only thing she could do was cross her arms to protect her body.

Flare stretched arms out to his sides and yelled. "Try dodging this in midair!" he yelled.

**Flame Pillar. **It is a secondary attack that used by Flare after Flame Dome. As the Flame Dome is activated, Flare shoots his arms up in the sky and shoots a giant pillar made of flames, making it nearly impossible to escape in midair.

Flare took this opportunity and had unleashed a giant tornado shooting up straight towards the sky, hitting Akame in the process.

"Aargh!" Akame screamed in pain as she was nearly caught in the blast.

"Akame!" Leone screamed as she looked in horror. She reached her hand out to her.

Akame knew she was going to get severely burned if she stayed within blast range any longer, so the only available option left was to throw her own body out of the Flame Pillar backwards. Akame instantly took that chance, her body was thrown back to the side of the rock.

"Gah!" Akame made impact with the ground, aching in pain as she suffered some damage. She tries to stand, but doesn't have enough strength.

Leone then glared at the two Jaegers. "Now you really pissed me off!" She roared. Without notice to Bols, Leone had dashed at such speed toward him.

"What the-" Bols paused.

"RRRAAAAAARRRRGHHHH!" Leone roared like a real lion as she pounced towards him.

_'She'd gotten even faster!' _Bols was amazed at the fact that she moved at such speed. He aimed Rubicante at her again but was too slow to fire. It was too late. Leone ripped off the large piece that shoots flames within seconds.

Bols gasped after witnessing Leone tear off her Imperial Arms. "Oh no." he looked at his now useless Imperial Arms, then looked back at Leone. "Did you just bite off my Imperial Arms?" Bols asked.

Leone silently chuckled at Bols. "Now you won't be able to use that hunk of garbage anymore."

"Nice going, Leone." Akame smiled, before aching.

"Akame!" Leone rushed to her ally, slash best friend.

"Bols, what are you going to do now?" Flare asked Bols.

"She's right. I can't use this anymore…" Bols sadly stated. "Alright, then." He turned to Flare and slowly used the fig sign. "I wish you the best of luck, Flare."

"Bols?"

"If I don't survive after today, please look after my family for me." Bols said.

Flare's eyes widened in horror. "Hold on, you're not going to-" At that moment, Flare knew that he was serious and was about to use his Trump Card. Flare instantly turned to Wave. "Wave!"

"What?" Wave saw Bols use the fig sign and gasped. _'It can't be. That's the...'_

_'Bols is using the signal!'_ Flare thought, then took off running.

"Hey, where you going, chicken?" Leone saw him run away, then mocked him.

"I'll disposed of it. Flare, Wave, Kurome. I'm sorry if you get caught in the blast." Bols said in a dark manner, before throwing the fuel tank up high in the air as he could.

"Now's my chance!" Wave took off with Kurome, then Natala followed.

"Wait, what are ya-" Kurome asked confused.

"No talk time, gotta go, now!" Wave said, while carrying Kurome away.

"Now's my chance!" Bols then grabbed the giant fuel tank on his back and lifted it over his head.

"Where are they going?" Tatsumi asked.

Najenda thought and then saw Bols carrying his giant fuel tank. "The better question is... why in the world would he run off like tha-" Najenda gasped. Najenda knew what was going to happen next. Najenda knew about the Trump Card of Bols', if Rubicante was destroyed. "Oh no!" She then turned to the rest of Night Raid. "EVERYONE RETREAT! NOW!" Najenda shouted. At that moment, Susanoo, Tatsumi, Mine, and Akame caught word of it.

Akame and Leone heard Najenda shout from below, and both were paralyzed with fear for of what Bols was going to do.

Bols had lifted the large gas tank over his head and threw it up in the air, as high as he could.

"Don't do it!" Leone yelled, but her words fell deaf to his ears.

"Oh shit…" Mine said silently as she tried to retreat.

"Oh no..." Tatsumi said.

"Oh god!" Akame yelled. All of a sudden, Leone ran towards Akame, then used Wall's shield to defend the two.

"Gotcha…" Bols said as he grabbed a trigger and pressed a button. The giant fuel tank then detonated itself causing a massive explosion in midair. Devouring and destroying everything in sight like an atomic bomb.


	18. A Loss on Both Sides

Groups of both Night Raid and the Jaegers have witnessed the devastating assault from Bols' destructive device. There was previously a giant explosion caused by Bols from a push of a button. There is nothing but dust all around and everyone is separated.

Tatsumi, luckily who was in his Incursio Armor managed to take that blast smoothly. He rose from the ground and looked around. "Look at this damage. I had no idea Bols' Rubicante could cause such destruction." He said as he started looking around. "No!" he noticed the dead Keiser Frog left alone. "Kurome's gone!"

Miles away, Kurome is being carried by Natala. She and Wave were temporarily seperated from the impact of that explosion. "That was a close call. If we didn't leave a lot earlier, we would've been caught up in the blast, and you probably would've sacrificed yourselves trying to protect me, huh?" she asked Natala, whom had stayed silent. Kurome looked at the aftermath smoke. "I never thought that Rubicante could cause so much destruction." Kurome then thought of Akame." Big sister. If you are alive…" All of a sudden, Kurome started to suffer headaches. "Urh!" Kurome placed a hand on her head trying to keep it together. _'Oh no… the effects are starting to wear off!' _Kurome then looked at Natala. "Natala. Take me back to the capital." She ordered.

Meanwhile, back in the pass, both Akame and Leone made it out from the blast. It turned out that before the fuel tank detonated, Leone quickly grabbed Walls Shield and protected both her and Akame at the last minute. Akame suffered no injuries from the blast while Leone's head started to pour blood. Leone started coughing from the smoke.

"Are you okay, Leone?" Akame asked in concern.

"Yeah, I'll be okay. Just wanted to make sure you were safe." Leone chuckled.

"Leone..."

"You know me. I like to show off my amazing skills, right?" Leone suddenly passed out after before saying the word "Right?"

"Leone?" Akame placed a hand on her side, only to discover that she had blacked out. "Leone!" she yelled.

* * *

Bols is walking away from the canyon pass. "I made it. But it seems I didn't get all of them." Bols looked at the trigger in his hand. "It seems I didn't do right." Bols then looked at the sky. "I hope Flare, Wave, and Kurome are alright." he thought about the Jaegers and that they're all having dinner together. "I wish we could all eat together one more time." He said, as he is about to venture into the woods, then heard a girl sobbing. "Huh?" Bols turned to see a girl crying and sitting next to a tree. "Oh no! What are you doing here sweetie? Don't you know it's not safe?" he asked all flustered.

The girl kept crying until she saw Bols. "Ah! A monster!" the girl freaked out.

"No, no, no, no! I'm not a monster! It's just a mask!" Bols pointed out. He then saw that the girl had a scrape on her knee. "Aw… you're hurt." Bols grabbed the first aid kit. "Here, you'll be okay."

The girl kept squirming. "Mommy! Daddy! Help me! Please don't eat me!"

"Stop squirming! You're not being very nice." Bols said as he patched her knee up. "There you go. It'll be all better before you go." He said as he patted her knee. "All you need to do is let it heal, okay?" Bols said.

The girl looked at her patched-up knee. "Thank you! I feel so much better." The girl said all happy-like.

"It's a pleasure. You are such a brave girl." Bols said as he witnessed her bright laughter. Bols then blushed.

"You know what?" the girl asked.

"What is it?" Bols responded.

"That village you burned down…" the girl jumped and stuck a thin senbon into his nape.

"Eh!" Bols gasped as he felt the pain of the senbon.

"They are gone forever," The girl that now stabbed Bols is revealed to be Chelsea. "The girl you saw, she lived in one of the villages that you carelessly destroyed. Under suspicion of aiding the Revolutionary Army." Bols eyes had widened as he heard what Chelsea has told him. "Of course, you've slaughtered so many, you probably don't remember most of their faces." she moved closer to his ear. "It's kind of ironic how you wear a mask, right?" She whispered as she withdrew her senbon from Bols' neck.

Bol's body collapsed to the ground. _'Is this it? Is this the retribution I yearned for? The retribution that I deserved this whole time?' _Bols then started remembering everyone he cared for." General Esdeath. Dr. Stylish. Run. Seryu Koro. Kurome. Wave. _'__Flare… forgive me. I couldn't atone for my sins in time...'_

Bols then thought about his family. Bols then started crawling on the dirty to his destination. " I have to get… home. My girls are waiting for me. Kije, my beloved… wife. And Logue, my beloved… daughter." Bols imagined his two loved ones and their house. Tears had dripped out of his mask. Bols tried to reach his family with his hand out. "I… have to reach… my… ughh." Bols groaned one last time before his body had finally collapsed and he is now dead.

Meanwhile, Flare is in a field of hydrangea flowers. "I wonder how everyone's doing… Kurome, Wave and Bols couldn't have gotten that fa-" Flare then felt a gust of wind blow past him. This wind felt familiar. At that moment, he sensed something was wrong. Someone was dying. He gasped as he looked up into the sky. He saw a cloud that had formed in the appearance of Bols' mask. He had just figured out that one of his comrades had fallen. Tears had suddenly streamed down his face. "Bols… no! he yelled silently. He then fell on his knees in sadness.

Meanwhile, Chelsea stood from behind a tree sucking on a red lollipop, listening to everything Bols had to said before he passed on. "Honestly, this is the saddest part of the job. Feeling your target's pain." She said, sucking on her lollipop.

"Wow. You got another clean kill before he could run away. Honestly, I wanted to get in on him first, but you beat me to him." Lubbock said as he walked out of the shadows. "Good work, Chelsea." Lubbock complimented her.

"Hey Lubb, I need you to do something for me…"

"It's good to see you in one piece. Let's meet up with the others, alright?" Lubbock suggested.

Chelsea turned her head away from Lubbock. "You can go on without me." she declined.

"What? Why?" Lubbock asked.

"I'm still trying to decide whether I go after Flare, or Kurome." She answered.

"Flare and Kurome are both outside my barrier. I could perhaps capture either one of them…" he stated. "But it's way too dangerous! It's not like we could bite off more than we could chew! Look, we don't wanna have to find your corpse in a ditch or anything!" Lubbock tried to reason with her.

"I don't have a choice! If we let Kurome get away this time, she'll just attack us with eight more puppets! And Flare. His pyrokinesis is way too dangerous! He could burn everything he ever touch! Also if he rallies with Esdeath, then they're gonna be far unstoppable for even us to defeat!" Chelsea said with a serious face. "Do me a favor and let them know what I'm doing, okay? Oh, tell the boss to give me backup in case something happens." She said as she walks away.

Lubbock sighed. "Alright, fine. But don't do anything stupid, Chelsea."

"Of course. If either Kurome or Flare meet up with Esdeath, I'll come back." Chelsea said.

Lubbock nodded. "I'll send someone if I can." Lubbock had started running towards the hideout.

"That'll be excellent!" Chelsea said while waving goodbye.

'_I could never get a read on her at all.' _Lubbock thought as he kept running.

Chelsea then thought about what Lubbock said. "He's right, I have been obsessive lately. It's crazy, though." She then clapped her cheeks together. "Okay." Chelsea brought out and opened her Imperial Arms. **Gaea Foundation. "**Focus, Chelsea. It's time to take care of my targets!" Chelsea brought out her products such as lipstick and pencils and eyelash combs in one hand. She then slashed away to the right causing her to disguise herself as Bols. "Now. Whom should I pick first…" She questioned as she walked in the woods.

* * *

Night Raid are currently in a cabin hidden deep within the woods. Tatsumi, Akame and Mine are sitting in chairs, Leone is recuperating in a bed, Susanoo is treating Mine's wounds and Najenda is standing there smoking. Lubbock then busted in the cabin and everyone turned their attention to him

"Everyone! I got news!" Lubbock yelled, while panting.

"Hey Lubbock!" Leone waved, while smiling. "Can you do me a favor-"

"It's Chelsea. She's continuing the mission! She killed Bols and now she's going after both Flare and Kurome!" Lubbock said.

Tatsumi and Akame both gasped after hearing the news.

"What the hell is she thinking!" Mine yelled in frustration.

'_This isn't like Chelsea at all. Oh well, it can't be helped.' _Najenda turned to Akame and Tatsumi. "Akame. Tatsumi. That's your cue. I know you don't have time to level up, but I need you to ally Chelsea and bring her back as quick as possible." Najenda ordered.

Tatsumi grabbed his white coat and Incursio's Key. "You got it, boss!"

"Akame grabbed her Murasame. "You can count on us!" Akame ached a little, before running out the door.

* * *

Kurome is still sitting on a stump and still eating her cookies. "There, I feel a lot better now." Kurome looked at the sky. "Wait. I feel like I'm supposed to be ambushed by an enemy in disguise, by now." She said as she placed a finger on her chin, assuming. "Oh well, it doesn't matter right now." Kurome then got up. "I should go looking for General Esdeath."

Meanwhile, Flare is still standing in a field of hydrangea flowers, he was squatting while viewing the colored flowers. He noticed the flowers have different colors like periwinkle, light blue, pink and violet. "I wonder, if she would like these flowers?" Flare had a hard time deciding whether to choose which colored flowers for a certain someone. "Hm?" Flare heard footsteps coming from behind him, so he quickly stood and turned to only see Bols.

"Why hello there, Flare." Bols greeted. "Thank goodness you're not hurt."

"Bols, it's you. I'm surprised you made it out at all." Flare said.

"Me too. The Incendiary Squad put me into a ritual that made me resist fire." Bols stated.

"Really? You don't say…" Flare asked.

"Yes. I also lost my Imperial Arms in the fight. Are you… disappointed in me?" Bols asked.

"No, not at all. You're all set?"

"Oh, y-yeah. I'm okay. I'm just upset that I lost my Imperial Arms." Bols said as he placed a hand behind his back. "So, what brings you out here?" he asked, as he took a senbon from his mask.

"I was just-you know, running from the explosion. Then I ran into this field of flowers. Have you ever seen em' before?" he asked.

"Too be honest, no. What are they?" he asked.

"They're called Hydrangea flowers. These shrubs are very popular, and they bloom in the springtime."

"What are you planning to do with them?"

"I'm planning to give them to special woman. Someone that I'm currently looking for."

_'A... a woman?' _Chelsea blushed behind that disguise.

"These flowers all around us. I'm trying to figure out, what color flowers does she like?" he scratched his head, deciding. "Can you give me a hand, here?"

"Sure. Let's see." Bols then looked down and picked up a shrub of colored flowers from the ground. "Is it this one?" he picked up a blue shrub of flowers, as he walked closer to Flare.

"No, that's not it. She doesn't like blue." Flare sighed. "I'll keep searching." he bent down, looking through the multi-colored shrubs of Hydrangea Flowers with his backside left wide open.

"Alright." Bols stood behind Flare. _'This isn't working! I need to kill him now! _Chelsea thought, as she stood a little impatient of an idea and hid hr senbon in her sleeve, close to her wrist.

"Oh, here's one. I found the exact flower she likes now." Flare slowly reached for it.

As he does, Chelsea disguised as Bols slowly walk up from behind, and slip out his senbon like an assassin. _'I'm about to run out in the next twenty seconds. Just pick it up already!' _Chelsea started counting down. _'Twelve. Eleven. Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five.'_

Flare stood up with the Hydrangea flowers in his hands and showed it to Bols. "Here."

Bols looked at the flowers and noticed that flowers were the color of red. "Huh? Why are you giving it to me?"

"Because, I told you that I was giving this to a special woman." he said with a fake smile.

"W-what?"

"That's right. I'm giving them to you, Night Raid." Flare smirked, as he uncovered Chelsea's identity.

Bols gasped. _'How does he know about that?'_ The transformation wore off and the master of disguise has now been revealed. Chelsea gasped again as her fake appearance wore off.

Flare took a good look at her. "Wow, you're actually cute, despite being a murderer." he admitted.

'_But… that's not possible. The user of Gaea Foundation is supposed to be undetectable when activated! I never met anyone who can detect Imperial Arms.' _"But… how did you-"

"There were a few things you didn't know about Bols."

'_What is he talking about?' _Cheslea thought as she took a step back.

"The first thing you got wrong…" Flare put a finger up. "Bols would never tell anyone about the ritual so freely. He would always tell the people he could trust in secret." He then put another finger up. "The second thing is that Bols would always blush and get excited when it comes to love." he put up a third finger. "The third is the flowers that I gave you..."

"But, what do those flowers have to do with anything?" she asked.

"The first thing about red is... it is the same color as blood. Yeah, you assassins have no problem taking lives and spilling blood for your cause. And the color of the flowers match your eyes." Chelsea blushed a little as he mentioned her eyes.

'_He's right!' _Chelsea thought, as a senbon accidentally slipped out of her sleeve and Flare saw it fall. "How did you know my favorite color was red?"

"Your eyes." he quickly answered. "The fourth thing you don't even know about him, is that Bols doesn't carry small deadly items like that." Flare pointed at the senbon.

Chelsea gasped as she saw the senbon on the floor. _'Oh no!'_

"And one last thing... I know it was you that killed Bols."

"B-but how did you know?" Chelsea asked, as her legs shake in place.

"I can't sense the dead, but I can sense when someone on the brink of death. After he died, you disguised yourself with his scent, but not only I can sense you, but I can also smell your fragrance." he said.

Chelsea's entire body was now trembling with fear. She became mentally paralyzed. _'W-why? Why… can't I run away?' _she questioned herself. Her brain was telling her to move, but her body wouldn't follow. _'I… I need to get out of here!' _Chelsea then looked at her right arm. She then channeled her will into her right arm in order to move.

"Eh?" Flare knew as he watched Chelsea try to move her right arm. _'She's scared out of her mind.' _Flare saw Chelsea grab a smoke pellet and held it up in the air.

_'I need to get out of here!' _Chelsea threw it at the ground, creating a huge smokescreen and hoped that she would escape. After releasing it, she used her legs and ran as fast as she could away from the scene._ 'I made a terrible mistake!' _she thought as she ran. Chelsea looked back to see Flare had vanished. _'He's gone?' _Chelsea didn't stop running, as she noticed his disappearance. As she looked forward, Flare had already appeared. Chelsea gasped, as she saw Flare appear in front of her. _'What!?'_

Chelsea tried to stop running, but it was no use. Flare ended up grabbing Chelsea by the arm, causing pressure to it, in order to restrain her. "So, this is what you used to kill Bols with, right?" Flare asked, as he took Chelsea's Gaea Foundation and threw the Imperial Arm to the side.

Chelsea gasped, as she saw Flare discard her Imperial Arms. _'No! My Gaea Foundation!' _Chelsea thought her Imperial Arm more than her own self.

"I'm sorry. But this is going to hurt me, more than it hurts you." Flare had kneed Chelsea in the lower chest, then karate chopping Chelsea's lower neck. He pulled back some power in order to keep her alive.

The wind was knocked out of Chelsea. 'No..._ this can't... be happening...' _Chelsea thought, as her vision faded into black, as she fell unconscious. Flare caught Chelsea before she could fall to the ground.

"This is a total pain," Flare looked at Chelsea's sweet unconscious face, then walked over to her Gaea foundation. Flare then picked up her Imperial Arm. He placed Chelsea's unconscious body over her shoulder and Gaea Foundation in one of his hands. "I need to get out of here and tell Esdeath what happened." Flare looked at Chelsea's unconscious body, whom was over her shoulder. "I hope the Empire shows you mercy, Night Raid." As soon as Flare took a step forward, he heard a yell.

"Stop!" yelled a familiar voice.

Flare heard a voice and turned his head to see two people standing a few feet away from him. The two assassins were Tatsumi and Akame, whom is covered in some bandages. "It's you two."

"Let her go and I promise your death will be swift." Akame said mercifully.

"No way! She killed my best friend, Bols! And I'm sure you would've killed me, too, back there!" Flare yelled at the two of them.

"Let her go." Akame said.

"Look, we didn't have a choice!" Tatsumi argued.

"That's crap! You came after us first, putting targets on our backs! How was that not a choice?" Flare yelled.

Tatsumi took a step forward. "Look, Flare. We did what we had to do, alright? It's for-"

"For what, the good of the Revolution? Look, I understand you're fed up with the Empire. But do you all really think that murder is the only way to solve things?!" Flare interrogated the two.

"I know it sounds crazy, but killing bad people is the only way to clean up the Empire. We're just doing our jobs." Tatsumi responded.

Flare remained silent for a few seconds. "Well I'm sorry. I have to do my job as well."

Both Akame and Tatsumi gasped, as they saw a ring of fire surrounding Flare and Chelsea's unconscious body.

_'What is he-' _Tatsumi wondered.

_'He's getting away!'_ It took less than a second for Akame to figure out what Flare was doing, then she rushed towards him and Chelsea with as much speed she could produce. _'He's trying to take her to the capital!' _

"Akame!" Tatsumi called, but was ignored by her. _'What is he doing with those fla-' _Tatsumi gasped as he figured it out, then ran right behind Akame to rescue Chelsea. _'No! We can't lose Chelsea!' _Flare suddenly reminisced the memories he had with her. "We can't lose her!"

_'I know!' _Akame started to grow tired of running, she found herself panting as she reached her hand out to Flare. As she was close in range, she drew out Murasame and tried to land a cut on Flare, but was too late. Flare had already transported elsewhere with Chelsea in his possession. Akame realized she was too late. For the first time, she felt like she was too slow to save her comrade.

Tatsumi tripped on his feet and fell face first as Flare had vanished. He slowly rose his chest up. "Akame... did you cut Flare? Did you save Chelsea?" Tatsumi asked, knowing the answer. Akame responded by saying nothing and shook her head no in sadness. Tatsumi's eyes widened a little, as he now learned that Chelsea has now been captured and gone. "AAAAAAARRGH!" he screamed in the air. Akame couldn't help but feel sorry.

* * *

Meanwhile, Wave is on his knees in the woods crying over Bols' corpse. "Damn it!" Wave punched his hand into the dirt. "If only I made it here in time, you'd still be alive! How am I supposed to tell you wife and daughter that you're dead now?" he said as kept weeping.

"Wave!" said a familiar voice.

Wave looked up at the sky and saw Run coming down from the sky, using his Imperial Arms, Mastema. "R-Run!" he called.

"Are you alright?" Run asked in concern.

Wave nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine," Wave then turned to Bols' body. "But..."

"Oh," Run bent down to check near Bols' corpse. "How long has he been..."

"I don't know. I just got here." Wave said, honestly.

"What happened in the pass? There was an explosion, right?" Run asked.

"Yeah. We were ambushed by Night Raid in the canyon pass. Bols sacrificed his Imperial Arm to try to take out the rest of them. I guess it didn't work. And now, one of them got to Bols. I was too late…!" Wave said in sadness.

"Look. There was nothing you could do to stop him from dying. People die everyday." Run placed on Wave's shoulder.

"I know, but how the hell am I supposed to tell his family? They don't even know he's dead, yet!" Wave shouted.

Run stayed silent for a brief moment. Then he brought up a different question. "Where is Flare and Kurome?" he asked.

"During the explosion, we all got seperated from the blast." Wave answered.

"Well unless we find them, there's nothing we could really do. General Esdeath and Seryu are out looking for them." Run said.

"Run." Wave called.

"Yes?" Run slowly responded.

"I'm starting to realize ...how painful this job really is." Wave said with sadness.

Out of nowhere, Flare had suddenly transported to Wave and Run's location, with Chelsea on his shoulder. "Guys, I'm here!"

Both Wave and Run gasped, as they spotted Flare and Chelsea.

"Flare, it's you." Run said.

"Where's Kurome?" Wave asked.

"I don't know where she is right now, but I'm sure that she must've survived." Flare answered.

Wave sighed. "That's a relief."

Run stood up. "Flare. Who is that woman that you are carrying?" Run asked, as he pointed at the unconscious Chelsea.

Flare looked at Bols' corpse and then at the unconscious Chelsea. "She's the one who..."

"I understand." Run said, calmly.

"Wait, she's the one who killed Bols!?" Wave jumped up in shock.

"Yeah. She her Imperial Arms to disguise herself as someone Bols didn't know and took him out," he looked down at Gaea Foundation. "She also disguised herself as Bols and tried to assassinate me as well, but I was ready for her." Flare explained.

"I see..."

"Tch! Out of all people, why Bols?" Wave asked in frustration. "He wanted to live with his family and atone for his sins! So, why did he have to die?"

"That's how Night Raid works. They target certain people who opposes threats to the Revolutionary Army," Flare reminisced that scene where Susanoo sent Wave flying in the pass. Shortly after you were sent flying, Wave, Night Raid labelled me, Kurome and Bols as targets. We never attacked any of their subordinates, nor invade any of their hideouts. They approached us out of nowhere, as if we oppose a threat. I guess it has something to do with us having Imperial Arms, huh?" Flare explained.

"So you're saying, they plotted that ambush in the pass in order to take us out one by one?" Wave asked.

"I believe so." Flare answered Wave's question.

"I'm starting to get it. They attacked you two, because General Esdeath wasn't there." Run said.

"You're saying that Night Raid is no match for General Esdeath?"

"I believe so. Rumor has it, that she once burried one hundred thousand soldiers alive with her Imperial Arm." Run stated.

"Where is she anyway?" Flare asked Run about Esdeath.

"She's currently in the closest town, alongside Seryu. I went to investigate that large explosion that happened recently. That's when I found Wave a few minutes ago." Run explained.

"It's good to know." Wave said.

"We now have a member of Night Raid in our grasp." Flare said.

Run placed a hand on Flare's shoulder with a smile. "You did the right thing by capturing her alive, Flare."

"Yeah," Flare suddenly sensed Akame's aura from afar and turned to the south.

"What's the matter?" Wave asked.

"We need to get out of here. I can sense Akame from afar, and it looks like she's heading this way."

"You're right. They should be looking for her right now." Run nodded.

* * *

After an hour of searching, Akame and Tatsumi had finally came to the conclusions that Flare had gotten away with Chelsea. The two assassins had returned to the secret cabin hidden in the woods, where there comrades lie and wait. Akame opened the door, catching everyone's attention.

"Where's Chelsea?" Mine asked.

Tatsumi and Akame remained silent in defeat. The rest of Night Raid soon realized that they had failed to retrieve her.

"What happened?" Leone asked.

"I'm sorry. We couldn't to stop him in time." Tatsumi muttered.

The group gasped, thinking that Chelsea is dead.

"She's dead!?" Lubbock spoke out first.

Tatsumi looked at Akame, whom had explained everything. "No. She's alive. She tried to assassinate Flare, after assassinating Bols. Somehow, he caught on to her act and knocked her out. We tried to stop him, but..." Akame recalled Flare using pyroportation technique. "He escaped by transporting himself, with Chelsea as his hostage." Everyone gasped. "He got away."

Mine jumped up from her chair. "What!? Are you serious?"

"I'd have a hard time believing it too, if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes." Tatsumi said.

Najenda face palmed herself, after hearing Akame's story. _'It's just as I feared. Flare has gotten a lot stronger. If we had found this kid before the Empire, then our manpower would've been greater. But now, we have no choice... but to eliminate this kid.' _Najenda thought.

"What now, boss?" Mine asked Najenda.

Najenda sighed. "Change of plans, everyone."


	19. Promiscuous Girl

A week has pissed since the death of Bols. The Jaegers are in the headquarters of the Way of Peace Kyocroch, which is far away from the capital. The night sky was filled with stars, the region was more Arabic. Flare, Wave and Run wore different colored business casual suits while Esdeath, Seryu and Kurome wore separate colored dresses. The Jaegers were waiting on the other side of the door.

"I never been here, but this place looks oddly… familiar." Flare said as he looked around.

"Too shay." Run agreed as he leaned his back on the wall while reading a tiny book.

"I don't know… it doesn't seem right to wear these clothes to a banquet here. "Wave was trying to redo his tie."

Seryu is checking her long white armed dress sleeves. "I kind of agree with Wave. I feel like this dress doesn't really suit me here." She said.

"It looks good on you, Seryu." Run complimented on her dress.

Seryu ignored Run and turned to Flare. "Flare. What do you think?"

As Flare had looked at Seryu from top to bottom, he then noticed Seryu's cleavage and couldn't take his mind off of it. _'Is it really… getting bigger? My god, how many times did we fuck?'_ He started to get a little nervous.

Seryu then noticed the nervous look he had. "What's the matter, Flare?"

"Oh, um… It really looks good on you." He answered. _'Damn it!' _Flare was referring to Seryu's cleavage, not her dress.

"Why thank you." Seryu said smiling.

'_Roll with it.' _Flare thought as he kept smiling.

"But I feel like I won't be able to defeat Night Raid by wearing this." Seryu said as she looked at her sleeves.

"Well, it's a welcoming party." Esdeath said as she opened the curtains. "So just relax yourselves for now. There might be some entertainment you might enjoy." She said as she opened the door.

It was night time and the moon was out. The Jaegers have now entered a large banquet room. Flare couldn't help but look around the room. He mostly saw there were guests eating at white round tables, females in revealing attires serving the rich people, and what he liked the most was the food they are serving. _'So, this must be what the rich people call… a fancy party.' _He noticed Esdeath had stopped walking. He then looked towards Esdeath's direction only to see. _'What the!' _ He then saw a man sitting in a chair with five or six broads lying by his side. _'Are you telling me… this guy is…'_

"Councilor Bolic. We have direct orders from Prime Minister Honest. The Jaegers are here to ensure your safety." Esdeath said.

"My, my. I've been threatened recently. I took the liberty and asked the Prime Minister to send in reinforcements skilled in combat. But to think that General Esdeath, said to be the strongest of the empire… would come with nothing more but a couple of rats." Bolic said mocking the Jaegrs.

"Tch!" Wave had begun to feel irritated. He was about to move until Run grabbed him by the arm and shook his head no to Wave.

"They are my loyal subordinates at this party. So please, feel free to enjoy yourselves." Bolic said as he raised his hand up.

"We'll be staying here for a while, so we're going to be borrowing a few of your rooms." Esdeath said.

"Of course! I doubt you'll be bored at my mansion." Bolic smirked.

A few broads at Bolic's side caught Flare's attention. "Hm?" She then licked her lips out of lust meaning she wanted him. He pointed a finger at himself to see if their eyes were on him, and one of the girls nodded. He knew where she was going with this. _'I feel like I'm being sucked into a prostitution house.' _He thought.

Seryu quickly moved to Flare, grabbed and onto his arm and started glaring at the servants. Seryu's eyes were telling them that Flare is hers for the taking. One of the servants pouted in pity and giggled.

"I have no interest in those dolls. But…" Esdeath said.

Flare sensed dark aura all of a sudden and decided to look up. Seryu and Wave also looked up at the ceiling.

"I would like to meet those that are on the ceiling." Esdeath said as she kept looking at Bolic.

"Very well," Bolic snapped his fingers and the women moved from his side. "Behold. The very picture of violence." Four assassins dropped from the ceiling and landed near Bolic. "The Four Rakasha Demons!"

There were four assassins that came from the ceiling. They all wore respective white Gi. There were two large men with muscle build, one of them had pale skin, red markings all over his shoulders, torso, neck and face. He has long braided purple hair that goes down to his feet, black sclera with small blue eyes. His name is Ibara. The other large man had fair skin, he was bald at the top, but grew hair on his sides and had two braids coming from the back. He had crazy rippled eyes meaning his sclera and iris were yellow, but his limbus was red. Part of his Gi was torn. His name is Sten. There were also two women. One had darker skin possibly a tan, blonde hair tied in pigtails with horse shoes over them. and green eyes. She rarely wear her top Gi respectively. Her name is Mez. And the other woman had black hair matching her black eyes, a scar across her face, she has a kimono where her lower half is black and her upper half is white. She has a black bra sticking out of her kimono. Her name is Suzuka.

'_The Four Rakasha Demons? I never heard of them before.' _Flare thought.

"Oh, ho ho… so these are the Four Rakasha Demons. No wonder I haven't seen them in the capital. They were here the whole time." Esdeath said getting excited.

"They have been doing a great job of protecting me. Now that you're here, General. You have nothing to worry about." Bolic said with ease.

Seryu gripped her bionic hand. She then stepped forward and spoke out. "Bolic! Please wait! There is a possibility that an Imperial Arm using group called Night Raid has infiltrated this town! If you want to fight them, you must have Imperial Arms!" she said.

Flare had noticed something was off. He sensed Ibara's Qi moving at a face pace towards Seryu's direction. Flare read Ibara's movements as he quickly dashed towards Seryu's backside and Flare intervened by crossing his path and holding a sword made of flames near Ibara's throat within a flash.

"Eh?" Seryu quickly turned to see Flare catching Ibara.

Wave quickly turned to see Flare catching Ibara's hand. "What the-"

"Nrgh! You were able to read my movements." Ibara said.

"I dare you to touch her." Flare glared at Ibara with fire in his eyes.

_'Flare...'_ Seryu was shocked and amazed.

"Whoa now, I may not be gay and all, but if you were a chick, I think I would've fallen in love." Ibara muttered.

"If I was one, I would've most likely turned you down." Flare replied.

"Now, before you interrupted me, I was about to say is… there's no need to worry about that. We've killed plenty of Imperial Arm users with our bare hands."

"Actually, we have already retrieved and presented five Imperial Arms." Suzuka stated.

"Imperial Arm users may be strong, but they're not human." Sten stated.

"Which means that there are countless ways to defeat Imperial Arm users, right?" Mez asked.

"These four demons are executioners hired by the Minister. As you would expect, their skills are quite Impressive." Bolic stated.

"That's how it goes. You people should sip wine and enjoy the show." Ibara said.

"Also…" Esdeath drew out her sword made of ice and pointed it at the back of his head ready to strike. "Regardless of your abilities and achievements, you should never let your guard down. Or else your enemies will quickly do away with you."

"Heh." Ibara chuckled. "As expect of General Esdeath. Watch out. You're about to make me fall for you."

"Oh please," Esdeath's ice sword then evaporated within thin air. "I have a man." Esdeath then grabbed Flare and embraced him from behind. "Him."

Mez and Shizuka started to check out Flare. _'We got a hot guy on our radar now.' _Suzuka thought.

'_He's even fast enough to catch up with us now.' _Mez stated.

'_And now, it seems he's dating both the red-head and General Esdeath.' _Suzuka thought as she started blushing.

'_He's perfect!__' _Suzuka suddenly had an orgasmic look on her face.

"Whoa. That surprised me. I didn't even see him coming…" Wave told Kurome about Ibara sneaking from behind.

"Eh. I'm pretty fast too. I can keep up with them." Kurome said.

Right after the meeting, the Jaegers went out to their rooms. Flare was walking down the hallway heading to his room. Flare grabbed the door knob and was about to open the door until he heard someone call his name. "F-Flare." Said a stuttering voice. Flare turned his head to see a nervous Seryu in her original clothes.

"Oh. What's up, Seryu?"

Seryu started twiddling her bionic thumbs. "I just came here to say, thank you stopping that guy from touching me."

"It's fine." Flare said.

"Well if you're not busy. I was wondering, if we could hangout tonight? Just the two of us? I mean, since we're gonna be very busy tomorrow of course." Seryu asked Flare out on a date.

"Okay. Tomorrow we'll be very busy, so I'll do it." He answered.

"Yea!" Seryu jumped onto Flare and started instantly hugging him. "Thank you so much!" Seryu was filled with joy. She was squeezing him so tight that his face was starting to turn purple.

"Seryu! Seryu!" he said trying to let her know that she's squeezing him.

"Ah!" Seryu then let go after realizing. Flare started coughing heavily. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm just usually excited."

"I'm sorry." she said in a worrisome manner.

A couple of seconds later, Flare stopped coughing. "It's fine. So, where are we going?" he asked.

"There's a hot springs are on the other side of the palace on the first floor. As what I've been told, no one's supposed to be there this late at night. But due to us being apart of being apart of a special police force sent by the Minister, we were allowed 24/7 entry." Seryu stated.

"So we're going right now?" he asked and she nodded.

"Come on! Let's go!" Seryu took Flare's arm again and started running.

"Ah! Hey, wait!" Flare tried reason as he was being dragged.

Minutes later, Flare and Seryu were in the hot springs together in the nude. They two shared the same spring and their bodies were under water, shoulder length. Seryu had her hair wrapped in a bun, so it won't get wet. They sat next to each other as their bodies floated under water and both looked up and gazed at the night sky, as if it was a light show.

"It really feels good tonight being outside tonight." Flare said.

"Yeah. I'm glad that the two of us could get some time together, you know?" Seryu replied.

"I know we need to stay vigilant, but it's like this water is calming my muscles." Flare noted about the water.

Seryu giggled. "I agree with you on that."

Flare noticed Koro wasn't there with her. "Where's Koro?"

"I left him back in my room." she answered.

"Why? I thought you two were inseparable." he assumed.

"We are, but the only problem is... Koro doesn't like baths."

Flare remembered hearing something about dogs not liking baths. "Oh yeah, I think I get."

Seryu turned to Flare. "Flare?"

Flare turned his face to Seryu. "Seryu?"

"I'm happy you're here." she said.

"Of course, we're on a date."

Seryu blushed while twiddling her fingers. "That's not all... Flare, I'm happy that you came into my life... and I love you!" she confessed, which made Flare blush. But he already knew that she loved him. She moved her body closer to his, rested her hands, and cheek against his bare chest. "You make me feel safe when you're hear." she said in a soft voice.

"I know," he said, as he wrapped one arm around her upper back, and one wrapped around her lower back. "I'm going to protect you from all sorts of Danger." Flare raised her face off of his chest so they could make eye contact. "As long as I'm breathing, I'll protect you from all enemies, no matter what." after hearing those words leave his lips, Seryu let tears of joy stream down her cheeks.

"And I'll do what I can to protect you." Seryu smiled. Flare kissed Seryu on her forehead, which didn't make her blush, but had gotten her excited. She pointed at her lips, telling him to kiss her there. She closed her eyes and puckered her lips.

Flare lifted her chin with his index and thumb and slowly brought his face closer. Out of nowhere, he felt the lash of a white towel hit the back of his head with force, like a dodgeball, interrupting their kiss "Ow!"

Seryu quickly opened her eyes after hearing Flare groan. "What's wrong?"

Flare grabbed the towel and looked at it. "A towel?"

"Sorry about that." Said a familiar voice.

"Who's there?" Both Seryu and Flare turned to see whom it was. They saw two women stood before them. These two women were Suzuka and Mez.

"Hi!" Mez waved with excitement.

* * *

Meanwhile, the group Night Raid has infiltrated Kyocroch. They stood on top of a building waiting for Najenda's orders. Akame stood by the edge while everyone else stood in the middle. There was Najenda, Akame, Mine, Tatsumi and Susanoo and Leone.

"So that's the mansion where the councilor Bolic lives. Our next target." Akame stated.

"It's a nice house, alright. Built with such dirty money." Leone commented.

"We should keep the terrain in mind." Mine said as she held up her Pumpkin.

"Najenda. I've heard that the Jaegers are in town as well. We should keep calm and make a plan, and then finish them." Lubbock advised the boss.

"Good thinking, Lubbock." Najenda complimented him. She then looked forward. "Now. Whatever you do, don't let your comrades deaths and capture be in vain!" she yelled.

"Roger!" The Night Raid members yelled as they scattered forward.

* * *

"Why did you hit Flare with a towel?" Seryu asked.

"I wanted to test his reflexes." Mez said.

"My reflexes?" Flare asked, then remembered when he cut off Ibara.

"Yeah. When you were yammer-in on and on about Night Raid, Ibara was about to make a point, until Flare stopped him." Suzuka explained.

"So you're Flare, right?" Suzuka asked.

"Yeah, that's me." Flare nodded.

"Oh god, you're so hot..." Suzuka moaned.

_'What's with her?' _Flare wondered about Suzuka.

"Oh good." Mez clapped her hands together.

"We were in the middle of something." Seryu said, with a little irritation.

"We know. We saw it all." Mez said.

"We just like to ruin romantic moments. Fufufu." Suzuka giggled in a lustful way.

They both nodded at one another and removed their towels, lying them in the floor. "So Flare, what do you think?"

"..." Flare's didn't say anything, as he stared at their physiques.

"Aw, he's not saying anything!" Mez pouted, as she feels a like a little brat.

"I think the silent types are the stronger ones." Suzuka said.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Both assassins wasted no time dipping their bodies into the water and swimming closer to Flare.

Before they could touch him, Seryu stood in front of Flare with her back turned, facing the two Rakasha Demons. "Stop right there." she said with her hands out. "What are you going to do with Flare?"

"Come on, we just wanna have some fun with him." Mez answered.

"Aw, please don't be like that, Seryu. We're all working together from now on, so that means we get to share." Suzuka said, as she looked at Flare.

Seryu irritably sighed and slightly moved aside. "You're right. We are working together."

"Goodie! She actually agreed to share Flare!" Mez wasted no time, swimming over to Flare. She patted his forearms and sides, only to discover that he is muscular. "Oh wow, you are well built..." she suddenly grinned, as she looked at down at the water. _'Let's see if you're hard down here.' _Mez ducked her head and saw Flare's member. She saw it was hard and instantly grabbed it out of excitement.

"H-hey!" Flare's body jumped up, as he felt his member grabbed.

Suzuka grabbed Flare by the shoulders from behind. "Mmm. You feel warm." Suzuka rubbed her cheek on the back of his right shoulder.

"Woo! That must be what a hardened cock looks like!" Mez yelled as she poked her head out of the water.

"My turn to feel..." Suzuka smiled in a pervy way.

"Hey, stop it!" Flare yelled, but Suzuka fell on deaf ears as she reached her hand down, trying to feel his member, until Seryu stepped in.

"That's enough! You tow have to leave, right now!" Seryu demanded.

"Oh come one! We're just having a little fun with him." Mez replied.

"Yeah. You and General Esdeath get to fuck him all you want in the capital, while all we did was grope him." Suzuka said bluntly.

After hearing that, Seryu blushed like crazy. "That's none of your business! Get out of here, before I call-"

"Okay, we're leaving..." Suzuka said, as both girls looked back at Flare. Mez placed a finger on her tongue and winked at him. Suzuka just blew him a kiss, which he ignored. _'I love it when he plays hard to get.'_

As they leave, Seryu focus her attention on Flare, whom had just been groped by Mez. "Are you alright, Flare?"

"I'm fine, Seryu. They didn't really hurt me."

"I know, but I feel guilty for letting them grab your cock. If I had know they were going to do that, then I would've-"

"It's alright." Flare said, as he grabbed her by the shoulders. "I'm okay. No one's coming to hurt us tonight. I promise." he hugged her, while still in the hot springs.

"I'm sorry, Flare." Seryu teared up.

"Don't cry." he wiped away her tears.

"Oh, Flare." Seryu moaned.

Flare smiled at Seryu. "Let's go somewhere more private. There are too many eyes out here." Flare suggested and Seryu nodded.

* * *

Minutes after, the duo had moved to Flare's room The lights were out and the window was slightly cracked open. A naked Seryu Ubiquitous had sat at the edge of the bed with her arms covering her breasts. Flare had done some stretches, so that he wouldn't cramp or pull anything. He also placed a chair under the door knob and locked the door so no one could barge in.

"Flare, are you sure no one is going to barge in?" Seryu asked worriedly.

Flare walked to Seryu in the nude and bent down to her level. "Trust me. No one's coming to barge in on us. I have everything under control, I promise you." he assured.

Seryu looked at Flare's honest eyes. "Okay," she removed her arms, revealing her breasts. "I trust you." she smiled, as she let her hair down.

Flare blushed, as he stroked her cheek and kissed her lips. _'She's more beautiful with her hair down.' _he moaned, before pressing her upper body on the bed and crawling over her like a animal predator.

"Ah... ah..." Seryu moaned, as she and Flare started fucking. Flare thought that Seryu with her hair down to be more attractive than in a ponytail. Seryu lied on her back naked, while Flare leaned his body closer to hers. Both partners were under the sheets, as they made out in the bed for a short while. Koro was in his small dog bed sleeping while all this was happening.

Seryu stroked his cheek and smiled, giving him permission to stroke inside of her. He smiled back and grabbed her thighs and wrapped her ankles around his legs. He grabbed her hips and inserted his member into Seryu's vagina, causing her upper body to jerk up a little. Flare thrust inside of Seryu's vagina slowly, so Seryu could keep up the paste. Hearing Seryu's sweet moans is what's turning him on, making his member harder inside of her. Shortly after a minute, Flare had came inside of her.

Seryu smiled, as her eyes had watered once again. "You alright?" he asked.

Seryu nodded in response. "I'm used to the pain..." she muttered.

"I'll try to make it as painless as I can." He said, as he shifted her body and placed Seryu on all fours. Flare gently slid his hands down her back to her ass and gripped it tight, earning a moan from Seryu. He had thrust into her second whole. He groaned, as he felt her walls close in on his member from the inside. Flare could try to pull out, but refused as he thought if Seryu wanted to keep going.

"Don't stop..." Seryu moaned, as her skin had gotten warmer and warmer. "Aaah!"

"You're enjoying this." Flare wrapped his arms around her chest and grabbed one of her breasts, earning a quieter scream. He leaned backwards, sitting up with Seryu's back making contact with his. He rubbed and massaged her nipples, earning tickles and certain moans of pleasure. "Oh," Seryu moaned out loud, as she placed her arms behind her head and around his neck while in front, and started bouncing on his member "I... I love it!" she panted. He thrust faster than usual, making Seryu's breasts bounce and Seryu would moan a little louder. Seryu's womb started to get hotter and hotter, as Flare's member had reached the end of her uterus.

"I think I'm going to-"

"So am I!" Seryu yelled, as she held on Flare's neck.

They both climaxed, releasing all the juices they have within their bodies. In about ten seconds, Flare ejected his member from her vagina. Seryu looked like she was about to hangover, but Flare caught her and laid her down on the bed. Cum had leaked from her vagina and her face was red, as if she had a fever. Seryu was lying on her stomach, leaving her backside and ass exposed. Flare grabbed an ice cold towel and put it over her ass, which gave her chills.

"So cold!" Seryu said, as her head jumped up, as Flare put it on. She glanced at Flare and smile. "Thank you, Flare... my ass was hot." she noted.

_'Probably because we've been fucking for a while.' _Flare thought. "Do you wanna stop for now?" he asked.

Seryu raised her head and chest up and shook her head no, then crawled towards him. "Silly..." She leaped onto her partner, pinning him down on his back. Her chest was pressed up against his and Flare wrapped his arms around her back to draw him closer. Seryu was caught as she gazed into his fiery golden eyes.

"Do you like it?" Flare asked, while smiling.

Flare," she mutteredm as their noses lightly touch. "I love you, and I always will." Seryu confessed, as she whispered into his ear.

"I know," he whispered back. Before Seryu could kiss him again, she paused, as a thought suddenly hit her mind. Flare saw the worried look on her face. "What's wrong?"

"I've thought about something," she sat up. "Flare... I've noticed how popular you are with girls lately, and I really mind. I understand that women look to you... but, I feel like down the line that guidance will turn into womanizing."

Flare suddenly thought about Bolic. "I think I know what you mean."

"Flare, promise me something," she turned to him. "That you won't become someone like him." Seryu referred to Bolic.

Flare sat up and chuckled. "I understand," he held her in comfort. "I promise that I won't end up like Bolic." Seryu smiled, as she rest easy in the arms of her partner.


	20. In the Night

'_It's been a few days since we arrived Kyocroch,' _Flare noted as he stood on top of a tall building on patrol duty, searching for spies of the Revolution and Night Raid. _'I remember when we were first assigned.' _

Flashback

It was a dark and rainy day outside of the palace. The remaining Jaegers were currently at a dining hall with nothing to do. Kurome was sleeping with her bag of cookies in her lap. She is protective of her cookies. If you try to steal some from Kurome, she'll take your arm. Suddenly, a door had opened up and Esdeath had walked through.

"Is everyone alright?" Esdeath asked.

"We are all good, General." Wave informed.

"Good, now that you're all here, I have some news." she placed her hands together. "The woman that Flare had captured recently is now being interrogated, and her Imperial Arm has now been confiscated. We are working to find a new suitable user, though." Esdeath had informed her party

"That's good!" Seryu jumped from the table with excitement.

"Bark!" Koro followed Seryu.

'_You can rest easy now, Bols. Your killer has been caught.' _Wave thought about Bols.

"Also, we the Jaegers had just been assigned a new mission by the messenger whom works for the Minister."

Flare suddenly glared at the thought of the Minister. "The Minister… just what does he want with us?"

"We shall be leaving for Kyocroch soon." Flare, Wave and Run were alerted by Esdeath's news as they continue to look at her. "We had reports saying that the man we are hired to guard is the one that Night Raid is targeting."

"So, we're protecting someone from Night Raid?" Flare asked.

"Yes, Flare. So they beat us to him during their trip. But reaching their target was their true objective."

"Wait, they already killed him?" Flare stood.

"Oh no. Our target is somewhere safe." Esdeath had calmed Flare down, before losing her grip. "In this battle, Najenda was one step ahead of me. According to some of the thugs that we had interrogated, this information about us crossing paths with a foreigner. It's the kind of plan that only Najenda would come up with. Not only were we slowed down, but we were used to clean up their remains. And we also lost one of our own."

All three Flare, Run and Wave suddenly looked in depression after hearing Bols' name. Esdeath cringed, as she leaned her back on the door and facepalmed herself. "But I will not make that same mistake again. We will stop them at Kyocroch…"

Kurome moaned, as she raised her head from the table. "Is it breakfast time, yet?"

End Flashback

'_If what Esdeath said was true, then maybe there's a possibility that Night Raid could be here.' _Flare had noticed a large number of people roaming. _'There sure is a lot of people roaming the streets. Maybe I should try to sense Night Raid out, while I'm here.' _Flare took a deep breathe and used his senses.

"Whatcha doin'?" asked a familiar voice.

"Huh?" Flare turned around to see two of the Rakasha Demons, Sten and Mez. "It's you two." Flare remembered the both of them showing up at the banquet. Especially Mez, whom had groped him in the hot springs a few nights ago. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We were assigned on patrol to search out suspicious people and…" Sten clenched his fist in excitement. "Release their souls."

"You mean kill the spies?" Flare asked Sten.

"That's right." Mez smiled, as she threw her arms behind her back of her head. "Now that we're here, we can search for suspicious people together." She grinned at Flare.

"I guess I look forward to working with you…" Flare then sighed, as he turned his head forward. He quickly spotted a suspicious person in a dark hoody-cloak, walking suspiciously through a public market and small crowd. _'Is that guy…' _

Meanwhile, the man in the hoody-cloak turned out to be Lubbock. He walked by plenty of people, especially pretty girls. He took a sip from his alcohol flask. "Jeez, what an urban town escape," he noted as he looked around a little. "Well, I guess it's easier to have this number of people and blend in." he muttered to himself. He then perverted grinned at the thought of seeing naked Najenda. _'Luckily, know one knows my identity. If I play my cards right, I can score points on Najenda!' _

'_Oh, Lubbock, take me!' _Lubbock imagined himself, making the first move onto Najenda. Lubbock then snapped out of it and continued moving. What he had no idea was that there were highly skilled people spying on him, the spy.

"Hey, Sten." Mez called. "Don't you think he's trying to survey everyone? I can tell by the way he walks."

"Now that you mention it… my instincts are telling me that he's a rebel. That's the movement of someone who has fought and killed many people." Sten crossed his arms. "It seems, that he's trying be careful with his surroundings. I can tell." He smirked.

'_When you think about it, I can definitely sense it,' _Flare turned his attention to the two Rakasha Demons. _'What are they…'_

"He's a black hat. Let's kill him." Mez placed a finger on the tip of her tongue.

'_Never heard of a black hat before,'_ Flare thought and turned towards Lubbock. "You're gonna kill him now?"

"I don't personally call it killing, buy Releasing their soul." Sten said.

'_It's still killing whether, you call it that or something else.' _"Don't you think we should we alert Esdeath and the others first?"

* * *

Meanwhile, the sun had started set, as the sky was orange with light clouds. Seryu Ubiquitous and her trusty Imperial Arm, Koro stood guard in front of the cathedral for hours. As she stood in guard, something has been troubling her for a while.

"What's the matter, Seryu?" Esdeath had asked Seryu, as she walked up the stairs and approached her. "You've got a serious look. Is something troubling you?"

"General…" she hesitated for a bit, as her eyes rolled to the left. "It's that Bolic guy. He's vulgar and he's gone too far He manipulate women into his religion, and I was wondering… is it even worth our time to come here and guard him?"

"I understand what you mean, but he's bait to draw out Night Raid. We know that he's a target. You can think of him as such, after the mission is over." Esdeath gave her an honest answer.

"That is true, if you put it like that." Seryu responded. "I wonder, how Flare is doing?" she wondered. "Last night, I made him promise me that he won't end up like Bolic."

Esdeath smiled at her subordinate. "You're too tense, even when he's not around. You should try acting more, lively."

"Lively?"

"Yes," Esdeath looked at the kids, whom are chasing Koro, "Like those kids over there." Seryu looked at the kids that were filled with positive energy and cracked a smile a little. "Hey, children." She called, whom had turn their attention to her.

"General Esdeath?"

Esdeath introduced Seryu to the kids. "The owner of that dog wants to play too."

"Okay!" the kids smile.

Esdeath lifted Seryu's chin up. "You should take a break. Enjoy yourself for a while. I'm sure that Flare wold want the same thing for you."

Seryu blushed at the fact that she mentioned Flare and smiled. "You're right!"

* * *

It is now night time. The sky was darkish blue, the stars were shining, the moon was crescent and the people who lived in town was sound asleep. But there were those who were fighting in the streets of Kyocroch. Flare was running in the streets at night. He sensed there was a battle happening.

'_Someone's fighting!' _As Flare ran with such tenacity, he saw a woman running from his direction and towards him. _'A woman?' _

A woman with shoulder-length light brown hair and blue eyes. She wore a skirt and a hoody. Her name was Pais, and she is a spy for the Revolutionary Army.

Flare suddenly stopped, as he approached a woman, whom was running from a scene. "Um, can I help you, miss?" he asked.

Pais gasped, as she stopped and recognized Flare. She was one of thousands whom has heard of the pyrokinetic user. She didn't know how capable he is, but is aware that he is a target of Night Raid. She tried to make up an excuse to get away from the scene. "Please, my friends are being attacked! You have to help them!" she pleaded with tears in her eyes.

"Where?" Flare asked, acting like he's in a hurry.

"That way!" Pais pointed east. "Please, you have to save them they're gonna die!"

'_That's where Sten and Mez are. And they're fighting someone.' _At that moment, Flare knew that they were fighting Night Raid, and that Pais is a spy. He turned to Pais with a smile on his face. "Alright. I'll do what I can to save your friends."

"Why, thank you so mu—" Before Pais knew it, Flare had karate chopped the back of her neck, causing her to lose conscious and hit the ground.

"Like I'd fall for something like that," he said, as he watched her unconscious body. "If you really have friends over there, why would you abandon them?" he asked. Flare looked around and sensed no one else in his area. _'She's a rebel spy. Maybe, I should turn her in. But if I do, she'll be tortured by Esdeath or that Bolic would probably turn her into his sex slave.' _Flare had second thoughts, as he looked at a nearby barrel. "Alright, let's get you up." Flare picked up her unconscious body and gently placed Pais' body inside of a barrel. "You'll be safe in here."

"Thank you…" Pais silently moaned in her sleep, before he closed the lid on her.

"Now to-" Suddenly, Flare had sensed someone's energy fading away and turned East, where Sten and Mez were. _'Someone's dying.' _Flare ran along, leaving Pais behind in a barrel. _'I have to hurry!'_

Meanwhile, Mez had the upper hand in this fight. She lifted Lubbock up off the ground by the shirt and stared at him. Lubbock was bleeding from his lip, as he groaned from Mez's punch. He looked down and saw her figure.

"Damn, you're so cute," he smiled. "If things were different, I would've tried to seduce you." Lubbock admitted.

Mez chuckled. "I don't hate guys like you, though. But I already have somebody I'm trying to seduce." Mez admitted as well. Mez summoned dark aura into her left fist, as she held Lubbock's shirt. "Have fun remaining a virgin in the next life. Bye-bye!" Out of nowhere, the knives that Lubbock threw at Mez moments ago, had suddenly found there way back and pierced her upper back. _'What?' _she suddenly felt paralyzed.

"I tied my threads to the knives that I threw at you. If I reel them in like a hook, the knives will return as well." Lubbock stated.

"Gahuk!" Mez spat blood from her mouth, before thumping the ground.

"Now to finish the job." Lubbock picked up one of the knives he used and attempted to kill her. Before he could do it, a fireball suddenly hurled towards Lubbock, moving with such speed. _'What the-' _Lubbock managed to dodge by a hair. "What the hell was that?" he asked himself.

"You must be apart of Night Raid, then." Said a non familiar voice.

"Huh?" Lubbock turned forward to see Flare approaching him. _'Dammit, it's Flare. The one that captured Sheele and Chelsea.' _He slowly stood up. "And you must be Flare, right?"

Flare had sensed a fading aura, so he tracked it down before the aura had disappeared. As he got there, he saw Me fighting Lubbock for a while. As Lubbock was about to take her life, then when he decided to step up. He looked and saw the battlefield. There were leaning threads, that were dripping sweat. He walked towards Mez's unconscious body and checked her pulse. _'She's still alive. Her injuries aren't fatal, but she needs medical attention.' _He sensed nothing coming from Sten, whom has a spear made of threads in his chest. _'Sten is dead. This guy must've taken him out, then.' _Flare then glared at Lubbock, whom is glaring back. "I see that you don't like to clean up after yourself."

"That's right, sorry, pal," Lubbock summoned more threads. "Now that you've seen my Imperial Arms, I can't let you to live." He said, calmly.

"Now that I've seen you in action, I was about to say the same thing. You're too dangerous to be left alive." He said, as he ignited his hands with fire.

"Before I forget, this is also payback for what you did to our members." Lubbock added.

"Look, all you need to know that they're going to pay for what they've done." Flare knew that Lubbock was talking about Sheele and Chelsea.

"Prepare to die!" Both combatants yelled.

* * *

**Author's Note: Thanks guys. How do you think that this fight is going to go? Flare vs. Lubbock? Two polar opposites against one another? Lubbock came from a rich family, while Flare came a poor village. Lubbock is a tactician, while Flare isn't a tactician. Lubbock's a pervert and chase away women, while Flare attracts women. Lubbock doesn't have his team Leader's attention like he wanted, while Flare his his team leader's attention. Two polar opposites. Thumbs up. :)**


	21. Bait

Lubbock silently groaned, as he could feel his side hurting. He tried to act tough by giving Flare a confident smile. _'Dammit. I'm not at one hundred percent! I forgot that Rakasha Demon chick did me good.' _Lubbock shortly thought back when Mez punched him.

'_This guy can use wires, like crazy.' _Flare glanced at Sten's corpse and noticed the spear made by wires. 'He can conjure wires and turn them into a weapon. Also…' he glanced over at Mez's unconscious body and noticed that there were two knives. He looked closely at them and spotted small wire tied to the hilt of the knife. _'This guy is smart...' _

Without warning, Lubbock used his strings from Cross Tail to conjure a spear and lunged it towards Flare, whom had caught with ease. "A spear." He looked to Lubbock's direction to see him running away from the scene, like he was late to a certain event. "What the—Is he really running away?" he shouted in confusion. _'Well, maybe I'll just catch him, and—' _

'_I'm so… thirsty.' _An unconscious Mez moaned.

Flare himself stopped and turned, as he heard an unconscious Mex moaning in her sleep. "Oh, that's right, I almost forgot." He bent down to Mez's level and placed his hand on her wound, where the knives had pierced her back. "I'm going to help you. Just hang in there." Flare's hands glowed with aura, as he started the process of healing on Mez. It took him a few moments to finish the healing and the wounds on Mez's back had healed completely.

"There, you're all done." Flare looked around and saw a big red vase where he could store Mez's unconscious body into. "You'll be safe in here." Flare placed the lid on top of the big vase and left the lid slightly cracked open, so Mez could get some air. "Now to—"

Meanwhile, Lubbock was sprinting for his life through the streets of Kyocroch, away from Flare, away from the scene. _'This is bad! I can't fight Flare one-on-one. Not with these injuries. I have to find Najenda and the others, before…' _Lubbock gasped and stopped running, as he saw Flare standing right in front of him.

"I caught up to you." Flare said.

Lubbock was a little stunned. _'How the hell did he get here so fast?' _Lubbock wondered, as he prepared to use Cross Tail. Without warning, Flare dashed towards Lubbock in close range. Lubbock's body was too slow to react to Flare's speed. _'No way, was he this fast as befo—ugh!' _Lubbock thought, before being cut off by a heavy **Fire Fist** to the lower chest. Some blood spat out of Lubbock's mouth, after taking the blow.

The punch that Flare had just delivered to Lubbock had sent him flying a few backwards and made impact by crashing into a wall. Lubbock was in shock, as his peridot green pupils shrunk a little. _'Shit! I didn't have enough time to react!_' Lubbock's body then fell a few inches down on his back.

'_Shit. I've taken too much damage, tonight. But… luckily, while I was running, I was able to protect myself by using Cross Tail's strings to wrap my chest, absorbing the blow. Otherwise, I'd be really dead by now.' _Lubbock remembered using Cross Tail onto himself and weakly chuckled within his mind. Lubbock slowly sat up and scooched his back to a nearby wall, panting, from exhaustion and the injuries he had received._ 'Dammit. If this bastard, Flare had not shown up, I would've gotten both of the Rakasha Demons and I could've gotten bonus points with Najenda!' _Lubbock then fantasized a naked Najenda once more.

Flare gazed at Lubbock with shame and disappointment. Not that Lubbock hadn't put up a challenge, but that he threw away everything for the Revolutionary Army. Lubbock grabbed his bruised chest and panted heavily in defeat. "You know, it's sad. You didn't have to turn out like this." Flare said.

"Don't talk to me, as if you know me." Lubbock said.

"You're right, I don't know you. But I do you know that you're too dangerous to be left alive." Flare gulfed flames within his hands and did what he saw Lubbock do. Conjure a spear from his Imperial Arm. **Fire Conjuration. **An ability to conjure weapons made out of fire. Flare could imagine and create any weapon that comes to mind.

An injured Lubbock gulped. _'Oh shit. He can conjure weapons, too?' _ Flare pointed his fiery spear towards Lubbock's heart. _'This sucks! I can't be killed by this jackass!' _Sweat started to form on Lubbock's face. Flare was about to pierce his enemy until he sensed something coming right at him. Flare gasped, as he sensed something coming in fast speed, and jumped back to dodge Susanoo's crash.

"Susanoo!" He gasped. "What are you doing here?"

"I came here, because you were taking too long. Lady Najenda knew that you were in trouble, so she sent me to save you." Susanoo said.

"Shut up! I don't need someone like you to save me, I can take care of myself!" Lubbock scowled, which Susanoo ignored.

Susanoo then sensed someone close by and turned to face them. "Not with those injuries, you can't."

"Like I need you to tell me! And stop staring at my injures! They're none of your business!" Lubbock yelled, as he raised his head.

Flare glanced at the tall man with blue hair, blue eyes, horns in his head. He dressed in white, he held an Asian wolf mace beside him, and had a red core attached to his chest. His name is Susanoo and he was standing next to Lubbock. _'I remember him. He was there when Night Raid went after me, Bols and Kurome, back in the canyon.' _Flare tried to sense his aura, but could tell that Susanoo is… different. _'He's no ordinary man, is he?' _

"You must be Flare, from the Jaegers, correct?" Susanoo asked.

"That's right." Flare replied, then thought of something. _'Wait, why am I answering him?' _

"I am Susanoo, of Night Raid." Susanoo politely introduced himself to Flare.

"H-hey! Susanoo! You can't be introducing yourself to the enemy!" Lubbock yelled, as he leaned himself onto a wall.

Susanoo ignored Lubbock's words, as he continued to look at Flare. "My mission is to retrieve my comrade, tonight."

"Retrieve?!" Lubbock yelled, embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, Flare." Susanoo apologized.

"Sorry for what?" Flare asked, a little confused.

Because you have seen my comrade's Imperial Arm, and that you are still a target of Night Raid… I must eliminate you." Susanoo took his battle stance, gripping his hammer-like weapon.

'_By that fighting stance, he really isn't joking around.' _Flare noted, then took a fighting stance as well. _'I can tell, he's no ordinary person, especially with those horns sticking out of his head. He must be an Imperial Arms, like Koro, which makes him dangerous. But, then again…' _Flare then glanced at Lubbock. _'There's still this guy, who could use wires. He might join the fight as soon as he heals. Then I'll be in real trouble.' _Lubbock slowly got up off the wall onto his two feet. This caught Flare's attention. _'What's he gonna do this time?' _

Lubbock sprinted away like crazy. "He's all yours, then! I'll tell the boss that you were very helpful though!" he yelled, without looking back towards his comrade.

"That guy is a freaking coward." Flare mumbled. He then focused his attention on Susanoo again._ 'With him gone, I only have Susanoo to worry about. It won't be easy. I'm fighting against an actual Imperial Arm.' _

Susanoo charged towards Flare and in attempt to strike downwards, but Flare was quick to dodge the blow, which impacted the ground. The force from the weapon was strong enough to make a blow to the ground and cause some of the pieces to fly upwards.

"Tch!" Flare grunted. _'So much force!' _He jumped back to gain distance, as he witnessed the power of Susanoo. _'He's strong. If I get hit with by that thing, I don't know that even if I could survive that!' _Flare then took a deep breath Flare and speed blitzed Susanoo without a second thought.

'_He's coming towards me at such speed.' _Susanoo thought, as he changed from offense to defense. Flare attacked Susanoo by throwing a combination of physical and pyro attacks. Susanoo had guarded most of them, as he continued to play defense.

'_Unless I move that hammer thing out the way, I can't hit him!' _Flare gulfed up one of his arms with fire and fired it towards his opponent in a swirling, spiraling wave of flames. Susanoo quickly twirled his mace in a fast pace to repel the flames in close range. He wasn't completely successful of repelling it without harm, Susanoo suffered minor burns, but then shortly, Susanoo's minor wounds started regenerating, due to his healing factor. Smoke had started coming from his body.

'_His wounds are healing already? I knew it. He really is an Imperial Arm. He must have a weakness somewhere.' _As he looked at Susanoo, he noticed that there is a red item onto his chest_. 'Is that it?' _

Susanoo placed a hand over his core, now learning that Flare knows. He lunged towards his human opponent with full force. Flare placed two of his fingers from each hand and made a cross sign, launching an attack called, **Flame Crucifix. **It is a strong attack, a big fiery attack that resembles a crucifix made out of flames and explodes on impact.

Meanwhile, Wave was patrolling throughout the area and could not sense anyone nearby. _'I wonder, how everyone is doing…' _he worried.

After fifteen minutes of fighting, Flare started to grow fatigued. He had taken a few scratches during the battle. A blood dripped from the side of his forehead. _'Holy damn, he's really strong… Plus, he keeps healing after everything I throw at him. But…' _Flare glanced at Susanoo's red core whom he had managed to slightly crack. _'I did manage to crack his core. It hasn't regenerated since I manage to crack it.' _

"You fought well, Flare. But, I must end the battle here." Susanoo said, as his wounds are quickly healing.

"Well, if you're going to end the fight, then at least let me go out with a bang." Flare grunted, then generated a white ball of fire into his hand.

'_What's he doing with that sphere?' _Susanoo wondered, until.

"Here, take it!" Flare shouted. Susanoo switched to defense, as he was prepared to take the white fireball head on. Instead of Flare pitching the white ball at Susanoo, he threw it right at the sky, then suddenly. "Trump Card; Powerball!" Flare yelled, then the shining white ball paused within the sky and its light had illuminated across Kyocroch.

* * *

Meanwhile on the palace grounds, Bolic was sleeping soundly in his chambers, with a number of broads in his room. Esdeath guarded Bolic's door so that Night Raid wouldn't come after Bolic without a fight. She started to get bored and wanted to take a break for the night until. A ball of light had suddenly appeared in the night sky. Esdeath caught a glimpse of the light and ran to a nearby window. She ran towards a nearby window. Esdeath gasped, realizing what it was. As she saw the ball of light in the sky, she could only tell that it was one thing in her mind.

"Flare… you're…" Esdeath's eyes widened, as she then made haste to her lover.

Meanwhile, Run and Akame stopped their fight to see a shining ball of light in the sky, kilometers away from their battle. Akame placed an arm over her face so the light wouldn't affect her eyesight. Run covered his eyes as well and knew what that ball of light meant. _'Good. Flare has finally used the signal.' _Run then turned around and flew towards the ball of light, ignoring Akame.

'_That ball of light. It can't be…' _Akame figured it out.

Lubbock stopped running for a brief moment and stared at the ball of light within the night sky. "Damn that Flare."

At the palace grounds, both Kurome and Seryu stared at the ball of light in the sky and knew what it meant, that Night Raid was in Kyocroch.

'_So, big sis' here, huh?' _Kurome thought.

Seryu held Koro in her arms and became worried. "Flare…" she took a few steps forward, placing her hand on the mirror.

Najenda, Tatsumi and Leone was starring at the ball of light from the southern area of Kyocroch.

"What the hell is that?" Mine questioned, as she covered her eyes

"It's so bright…" Tatsumi covered his eyes with his arm.

"Too bright, if you ask me." Leone added, as she covered her eyes as well.

'_Tch! I figured that something like this would happen. It won't be long until reinforcements show up.' _Najenda lowered her head. _'Esdeath… you trained the kid real well…' _Najenda thought, as she started to take her leave into the shadows. "Everyone, let's move."

"Right!" Tatsumi, Mine and Leone responded.

In Wave's situation, whom was in his Grand Chariot armor was sprinting through the streets towards the scene, where Flare threw the ball of light. "I'm coming, Flare! This time, I won't let any of my comrades die!"

* * *

**Trump Card; Powerball. **A white ball made of pure flames. A technique that is thrown into the sky and shines upon all those within the area at a large scale. In order for it to work at night, the Powerball must reflect off of the full moon. It is used to alert allies draw out enemies. The technique lasts for thirty minutes.

Meanwhile, Susanoo chose to keep his eyes on his opponent, Flare. "I see. So, you created a diversion and called for reinforcements? How clever."

"What can I say? I can't beat you alone, now can't I?" Flare joked.

"You're right about that. It would take a normal human, years of training to reach me." Susanoo chuckled a bit at Flare's words.

"Haven't you heard? I'm no normal human anymore." Flare had summoned Phoenix Gauntlets onto his arms, which are connected to his hands, which are powerful enough to punch through metal and to take down Danger Beasts. _'I was saving this for when I had to fight Tatsumi, but this guy, Susanoo will do!' _Flare thought.

"Very well," Susanoo nodded, as he took his fighting stance. "Now, come on and face me!"

"You asked for this!" Both warriors charged at each other with their weapons at full force. As they moved close range, everything around them was in slow motion. Their blows collided and caused an above average boom noise in the streets. The explosion was so loud that it nearly woke everyone from within their houses.

As the smoke from the explosion cleared, Susanoo stood over Flare's unconscious body victorious. The Susanoo's core was badly damaged.

"I was created a thousand years ago, along with the forty-seven Imperial Arms. I protected many of my users, killed thousands of enemies. As far as I could count, you're one of the few Imperial Arm users that I have fought and survived." Susanoo stated, as he glanced down at Flare's body. "Hm. You have my respect." He smiled, as he carried Flare's body over his shoulder.

"Well done, Susanoo." Said a familiar voice. Najenda had slowly walked out of a dark alleyway to approach her Imperial Arm.

"Mission accomplished, Lady Najenda." Susanoo replied.

"Now, with Flare in our possession, the Jaegers will be short handed and Esdeath would be upset and come looking for him." Najenda said, as she glanced at Flare's body, then at Susanoo's damaged core. "Your core…"

"No need to heal me, Lady Najenda. It may not regenerate, but it's not life threatening." Susanoo said.

"Let's get out of here, quickly." Najenda said, thinking that reinforcements are coming soon.

"Right." Susanoo replied.

Five minutes later, Esdeath had finally arrived at the fight scene and discovered that she was too late to assist her lover. She looked at the outcome and looked at part the singed road, some of the buildings had minor damage. She took a step forward and noticed that there was a note on the floor.

"A note?" Esdeath questioned. She opened it and started reading what it said. What she noticed that it was Najenda's handwriting.

_**"Dear Esdeath. As you can see, we have captured your precious soldier. If you want to see him alive again, then you know what to do." **_Najenda's words.

Esdeath was now frustrated. Frustrated that she didn't make it in time, frustrated that she didn't assist her lover. She froze the note in ice within her hand and shattered it. "Damn you, Najenda. You've taken many things, but I won't let you take my lover." she scowled.

"General Esdeath! I'm here! Where's Flare?" Wave asked, as he arrived.

* * *

**Author's Note: For those who don't get it, Flare is now a prisoner of Night Raid. I wanted Flare to to meet all the members of Night Raid first.**


	22. Rescue Attempt

The Empire had suffered a few casualties from the Revolution. Two Rakasha Demon members were assassinated, one was in critical condition and a member of the Jaegers, Flare had been kidnapped.

Esdeath had returned to the palace where she had informed her group. Wave clinched his fist in frustration, thinking that he let Flare down again. Run sighed in relief of hearing that Flare is still alive. Seryu was heartbroken, also carried Koro within her arms. Kurome wasn't really concerned for Flare's well-being. All she want to do is kill her older sister.

Two weeks had pass and the city was placed on All-time High Alert, due to Night Raid's presence. A curfew was also placed in the city. Citizens would have to be in doors by dusk. If citizens were to stay out a minute later or if they're even suspected of conspiring with Night Raid, they'll be imprisoned, or worse, executed on the spot. Luckily, they were able to catch and kill a number of Night Raid spies in Kyocroch, which stopped them from moving efficiently for te time being.

The sun was up, there were plenty of clouds in the sky. The people kept continuing in the town kept on about their business in the city. On a ball field, there were kids playing ball with each other.

Meanwhile, Wave and Suzuka watch from the sidelines.

"They're really having fun." Wave said.

"Seems like it." Suzuka said.

"I honestly want to join, but I'll only be interrupting their fun," Wave turned his head and saw Seryu. She sat against a wall and held Koro in her arms. Her eyes were filled with depression. "But, I can't say the same for Seryu. She won't even play with the kids."

"What is she so sad about, that she won't even play with children?" Suzuka asked.

"According to our General, my comrade, Flare was kidnapped by Night Raid. That was about two weeks ago." Wave stated.

"Two weeks?!" Suzuka said, a little surprised. "I'm surprised that Night Raid even took him alive, to begin with." She threw her arms behind her head. "But, has it really been two weeks?"

"Of course. We're doing everything we can to find and bring him back. I just know he's still alive." Wave then turned his head toward Suzuka. "By the way, you've been hanging around us lately. Does that mean you're one of us?" he asked.

"Me? Not really… it's more like I'm aiding you. It's a chance for me to be ordered around by General Esdeath and…" Suzuka grinned in a creepy smile. Her nervous habit suddenly broke out as she started quietly laughing.

Wave could feels strange vibes just by standing next to her. _'What is this feeling? It's like I'm standing next to Stylish?' _he wondered.

Seryu was filled with excitement. "It's so great to lead these kids down the path of good while they're still young and pure! It just bring me so much joy!" Seryu clapped her hands bionic together.

Suzuka turned to Wave with a normal face. "Wave. I'm gonna go on the lookout for a bit." She jumped high onto the top of the building with ease and her hand on the pole at the very top of the building. She looked around the area for a bit until something, or someone had caught her eye. Suzuka place a hand on her forehead and leaned her upper body forward to get a good view. _'Oh?' _Suzuka used her great eyesight and zoomed closer to spot two suspicious characters in the far eastern district of Kyocroch. "So, what do we have here?" she grinned as she spotted a girl with long blue hair, pink eyes with aqua-colored make between her eyelashes and eyelids. She was wearing a yellow sweater with a white line in the middle. The girl also had a spiky collar around her neck, and she was holding it with her fingers. _'That girl has combat experience. I can tell by those eyes and how she moves.' _Suzuka smiled, then looked down at Seryu, whom was still depressed "Hey, Seryu! You might wanna come up here!"

"Huh?" Seryu's face which has depressed look. With no time wasted, she and Koro were able to reach the roof of the building where Suzuka was standing. "What do you want?" she asked when she met up with Suzuka.

"I think that I found something that might interest you," Suzuka pointed westward. "They're really far away, but I might have found some intruders."

Seryu's face was a little serious and pulled out her small telescope and searched for the intruders Suzuka was talking about. "Where?"

"Over there." Suzuka pointed out. "Do you see those two? There's one with a green hoodie and black sunglasses and carrying some kind of weapon on his back.

Seryu gasped, she had finally spotted the two mysterious characters from afar. "I see them now." She then sensed something was up about the girl. "Wait a minute." She zoomed closely towards the girl and spotted her eyes. "Those eyes…" Seryu remembered seeing a pair of eyes before. "I know that girl."

"You do?" Suzuka asked.

"Yeah. She's one of those Night that I've fought before…" Seryu gripped onto her telescope. "Her name was Mine, I believe."

"Well, ready to bust some heads?" Suzuka pounded her fist into her other hand.

"I HAVE to do this! For the sake of the Empire… for the sake of Justice… I have to end Night Raid with my bare hands!" Seryu's eyes had watered. "And also, I want you to be there when I do it. I want to be by your side when the capital is a better place…"

Flare could see it in her eyes of how serious she was. Seryu wanting to eliminate Night Raid is her top priority. "Alright. I'll help you do it."

Seryu gasped in happiness and hugged Flare. "Thank you so much! You don't know how much this means to me."

Flare turned his head to Suzuka. "And what about you? Are you staying here?" Flare had asked Suzuka.

"I don't know. But, are you sure it's okay to move without telling the others first? That way, we can gang up and kill them a lot faster." Suzuka asked curiously.

"Look, I know it sounds hard. But, Seryu and I have a score to settle with them. We have to stop them from killing anymore people." Flare said with fire burning in his eyes.

Suzuka blushed and walked closer to Flare with a smile. "Alright. I won't tell anyone about this. But when this is done, you're going to pay me back."

"What?"

* * *

Meanwhile, It is now night time, the crescent moon I out, and Mine and Tatsumi are now in a ruined city in the canyon. They sat on fallen broken pillars and were removing their disguises while Tatsumi was taking off his coat and sunglasses while Mine was removing her wig.

"They won't follow us out here." Mine assured.

"We had to get out of the city at some point." Tatsumi said.

"Geez… why do we have to disguise ourselves? It's such a hassle."

"Boss' orders. We don't have that many spies left, so there's nothing we can do. We also have to gather information about the Jaegers and the demons…" Tatsumi informed her.

"Well, this sucks." Mine complained.

"So, you'd rather go and dig tunnels like Suu and sis?" Tatsumi asked.

"Nope, that's even worse. I'm a lady. And a lady has no time dirtying themselves for a mission." Mine said before she wiped her face with a rag. "Hmmm." Mine walked up to Tasumi. "Hey, Tatsumi."

"Yeah, what is it?"

Mine leaned forward. "Did I get it all off?" she asked.

As Tatsumi looked, he noticed how close Mine was and became nervous and his face turned light red. "Uh, y-y-y-yeah! I-it's all… o-off!" he stuttered nervously.

"Huh?" Mine started blushing. "W-what! What are you blushing for!?"

"I-I don't' know, you tell me!"

"Are you really taking that Red String crap seriously?"

"And I thought you were the one who took it seriously!"

"Well I'm sorry if I accidentally turn you on, just because you're a guy! It's not my fault you're always late when I need you!"

"Don't even pull that crap! You nearly took my head off a couple of times before! And you always call me a pervert! What the hell does that even mean!?"

"Huh!? Stop joking around, it's not even funny!" Mine turned her head away from Tatsumi and scoffed. "Besides, if we were destined to be together, why didn't you save me from that Keiser Frog back then?"

"I was already had my hands full! Stop being so dramatic!" Tatsumi argued.

"Shut up!"

Meanwhile, as the two argued on and on, they had no idea they were being watched by Seryu and Suzuka. Seryu was looking through her telescope from afar. "That's her. The pink woman from… Night Raid! Flare helped me fight them."

"Looks like I hit the jackpot." Suzuka said, as she crossed her arms with ease then turned to Seryu. "But are you sure that it was okay to make a move on your own? Won't General Esdeath punish you?" she smiled.

Seryu slightly turned and glanced at Suzuka. "Listen. You probably don't understand, but Flare is really important to me. I need him in my life. Night Raid is the key for me to rescue him." She answered. Right now, General Esdeath is busy guarding Bolic. In this situation, I'm allowed to make moves despite the consequences." Seryu answered.

"I see."

Seryu remembered the time she met Tatsumi. "But… the guy next to her is… Tatsumi?" She gritted her teeth, as she saw him once more.

"I take it, you know the guy?" Suzuka asked.

"Not really. When I met him, he was lost roaming in the lower levels of the capital. Then, I met him when I was shopping with Flare. He was really shady back then. And now he's with a member of Night Raid! I can't believe he escaped under my nose every single time I ran into him!" Seryu became infuriated clenched her telescope.

Suzuka took a few steps backwards. _'Uh oh.'_

"Koro. Phase Nine." Seryu demanded. Koro quickly bit Seryu's right arm and spat out and attached a radar to her right arm. "Justice City Detector!"Suzuka was thrown off and was left speechless. Seryu Ubiquitous checked her radar for any signs of life." Looks like aside from them, no one else is in the area. "Flare's not here, which means that Night Raid must've moved him elsewhere." She stated.

"If Flare's not there, then that's a good thing."

"Yes. And it also means that I can kill a Night Raid without even harming Flare." Seryu chuckled.

"If they really didn't plan an ambush, then the ties are in our favor." Suzuka said.

"Suzuka. Please relay this message to General Esdeath right away?" Seryu asked.

"Got it!" Suzuka then took off towards Bolic's palace at top speed.

"Hmph." Seryu sanely smiled. _'It's been a while, Night Raid.'_ Koro then grew a few inches bigger. _'Koro and I will finally kill these two monsters. I'm sorry, General, but I have no choice but to do it now! I'll make it up to you when this is all over… and I'll apologize to Flare for taking so long! _She looked through her telescope to see them start moving_. 'They're already on the move. Good._'

She put away her telescope, then detached the radar on her right arm and gave it to Koro so Koro can hold it. "Koro. Phase Two, Seven and Eight." Within less than a minute, Koro quickly summoned Phase Two, which is attached to her right shoulder and four missile turrets that can be used to fire a volley of missiles. Phase Seven which is a long ranged anti-tank rifle attached to her right arm, and Phase Eight is Seryu's left arm covered in armor that shots missiles. Seryu was well prepared. "This should be enough. If I can't kill them with this, then maybe it'll only slow them down." She then aimed her weapons towards their location.

As Tatsumi and Mine are about to leave, Seryu caught a whiff of the smell at the last second. Mine gasped, a she caught a whiff of heavy artillery. "I smell gunpowder!" Mine turned around only to see Seryu aiming at them.

"Wait, what?" Tatsumi reacted.

"JUSTICE VOLLEY FIRE!" Seryu shouted as she fired a number of missiles towards the duo. Dozens of missiles imploded on contact destroying the ruins and causing loud explosion noises. The building suddenly pillars, and large rocks from the canyon collapse due to Seryu's bombardment. Seryu stopped firing for a moment as she watched the area go up in smoke. _'Did I get them?' _she asked herself then looked at the radar Koro was holding. It detected that Mine and Tatsumi were still alive. _'That was a stupid question. Of course they are!' S_he then continued the bombardment and launched another barrage of missiles at them.

Tatsumi whom had transformed into Incursio had jumped out of the smoke and carried Mine over her shoulder. Mine was carrying her Pumpkin's case in her hand and had gripped it as Tatsumi was running along the way.

"What the hell was that?" Mine asked.

"It's probably an enemy." Tatsumi assumed while fleeing with Mine.

"Uh!" Mine gasped as she saw missile heading their way. "Watch out! Another round is coming!"

"Got it!" Tatsumi kept running and dodging the missiles across the canyon until they ran a near dead end. "Shoot! A dead end!" he looked up to see how high the rock was. "Hang on, Mine!" He held onto Mine's waist and made a long jump avoiding the last of her bombarded missiles. As soon as he landed, he put Mine down.

"They stopped firing. We must be out of range." Mine said as she opened her brief case.

"I got a lock at the attacker. I couldn't believe it at first but—"

"Just say it." Mine demanded.

"I think it was one of the Jaegers, Seryu Ubiquitous." Tatsumi said.

Mine suddenly paused after hearing her name and the expression in her eyes had gotten darker. "Ubiquitous, huh?" Mine pulled out a device from her dress and placed it over her eye to locate enemies. She saw a woman running, whom happened to be one of the Rakasha Demons. "I see another person! She's one of the Rakasha Demons!

"I thought we killed them all already. Is she going to call reinforcements?" Tatsumi assumed.

"Put me down, Tatsumi," Tatsumi let her down as instructed and had started putting pieces together and reforming Pumpkin to its long barrel form. "I'll take on Seryu alone."

"Are you really going to fight someone with that kind of power by yourself? Think about this rationally!" Tatsumi yelled.

"The Jaegers and the Rakasha Demons. They killed one spy after another. They even attacked Lubbock, and he nearly escaped with his life killing one of them. They're somehow able to distinguish their presence. If that's the case, they'll be a huge threat to the Revolutionary Army later on, if we allow them to live. You of all people know that, Tatsumi."

"Rrrgh!" Tatsumi grunted after hearing Mine's words. Deep down inside, Tatsumi knew she was right.

"That's why I'll take out Seryu Ubiquitous." She then finished replacing pieces and grabbed her Pumpkin.

"I'll take down the Rakasha Demon and come right back to you!" Tatsumi yelled, as he ran off.

"Tatsumi!" Mine called his name again, but her voice couldn't reach him. "Idiot." Mine then turned around and walked over to the edge of the rock to see Seryu fully armed with weapons and Koro standing right beside her. _'Okay, Mine. You have to deal with Seryu. Just get rid of her and move on. As soon as you're done, I'll help Tatsumi. '_

Seryu smiled and Koro glared at Mine. "Koro, phase six!" Seryu demanded, and Koro's upper body grew big and bit Seryu's upper body.

"What?" Mine questioned what she was seeing.

Seryu slid out of Koro's mouth and summoned a giant missile that explodes on impact. She smiled as she held it up in the air then pointed at Mine.

"How many weapons does she have!?" Mine asked herself as she stared at the missile.

Seryu then aimed the giant missile directly at Mine. "Eat this!" she yelled as she launched it at Mine.

"That's a huge target… but still, it isn't enough to kill the likes of me!" As soon it was close enough in her range, Mine fired an energy beam from Pumpkin. The missile exploded when it made impact with Pumpkin's beam. "Gah!" she groaned as she tried to keep her balance from the wind trying to push her back. _'This has quite the punch!_'

Seryu watched as Mine had destroyed her Phase Six. _'No way… she took down my most destructive weapon?' _this had gotten Seryu a little annoyed. "Alright, how about this?" Seryu pulled out and shot a grappling hook at the rock where Mine was standing on.

'_She's coming!' _Mine moved back as the hook grappled onto the rock.

She ziplined herself to the rock with Koro on her shoulder. "Koro, Phase One! Shinkou's ball of Justice!"

"Bark!" Koro spat out a giant green flail once again while ziplining.

'_No you don't!' _Mine fired another beam at Seryu, but Koro intervened by expanding itself, also shielding Seryu. Koro had gained a big whole through its chest and Koro suddenly collapse.

Seryu jumped on top of its head and launched the giant flail towards Mine, but quickly dodged the flail by jumping backwards to the near edge of the rock. A moment later, Mine and Seryu glared at each other with resentment in their eyes.

"I've been expecting you." Seryu broke the silence.

"You have, haven't you?"

"I came all the way to Kyochroch to stop you from causing tyranny." Seryu said.

"Oh really? I could be saying the same thing about you." Mine replied.

"Also, I came to rescue my boyfriend, the one you bastards kidnapped a few weeks back!" Seryu yelled.

"Who, Flare? Yeah, we have him. If it was my choice, he would've been dead on the spot. But right now my female friends are taking good care of him." Mine smirked.

After hearing that taunt Seryu was frustrated. "You Night Raid just don't know when to quit, do you? First, you Night Raid took away my Captain Ogre. Then my doctor, Stylish, I won't let you take away my boyfriend!" she yelled.

Mine sat down and started changing her Pumpkin from long barrel form to machine gun form. "If only you could've see what they were truly like before we killed them."

"What?"

"Your Captain Ogre worked with a dirty man who raped and murdered women. Ogre would pin false charges on innocent victims and people who had no clue. That's why Tatsumi killed him."

Seryu gasped in shock, her mind was slowly processing. _'Tatsumi… killed Captain Ogre?' _

"And your Doctor Stylish had experimented on numerous citizens against their will and turned them into inhuman Danger Beasts. He also tried to do away with us, so he had to die. That's why Akame killed him." Mine said.

"Damn you…"

"And Flare-"

Seryu cut Mine off. "No, just shut up! I won't let you talk badly about Flare!"

"You know, I have the feeling, that you and I are sort of alike."

"Do not pair me in with you, we are not alike!" Seryu detested.

"Yeah, we are alike. We both strive to be things in life and do whatever to protect others. You always talking about justice and me wanting to change the capital. And deep down… if we were on the same side, I truly believe that we could've been close friends." Mine had finished changing her Pumpkin to machine gun barrel. "You may not be a target… But, I will do whatever I can to put you down!" she pointed he Pumpkin at Seryu with confidents.

While Mine was giving her speech, Koro regenerated and expanded himself. Seryu checked on Koro to see if it was okay raised a right arm out. "Koro. Phase Five. Enma's Spear of Justice!" Koro then bit Seryu's arm and summoned a giant green drill. "Let's go, Koro!"

"RRROOOAARRGH!" Koro roared. Both Seryu and Koro charged at her. Seryu charged with her Phase Five, and Koro started throwing a barrage of punches.

Mine realized she was in a pickle, so she smiled. _'Not this time!' _she yelled as she fired rampantly at Koro causing major damage to its skin.

"KYYUAAAAH!" Koro groaned in pain.

Seryu looked at Koro in shock. "What is this power?"

"Can't you tell? I was only buying time as well as your dog was regenerating itself." Mine smirked. "The more danger I'm in, the stronger I get."

She then turned to face Mine. "Who are you!"

"I'm just a badass sniper genius from Night Raid." Mine answered. _'Everything's going according to plan. If it wasn't for Pumpkin, I would've been dead a long time ago.'_

"Koro, sit tight! I have a plan! She can't keep firing for too long." Seryu ordered.

'_She's right. And because we'e already fought before, I can tell where the core is this time.' _Mine continued to fire at Koro's left shoulder. Within it's left shoulder, Koro's core was revealed. "Don't worry, it won't take too long to put this puppy down!"

"Ngh! Koro! Hurry up and go Berserk!" Seryu yelled and Koro obeys instantly transforming into the big red muscular dog. "

'_It transformed again.' _Mine quickly grabbed earplugs and put them into her ears. _'Here it comes!'_

"**GGGRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHH!" **Berserker Koro screeched breaking the sound barrier and sending gusts of wind towards Mine.

Mine tried to keep her balance and covered her ears just so she won't be affected by Koro's screeching. _'It's a good thing I brought these earplugs. If I hadn't, I would've probably been deaf. I know all of that Imperial Arm's tricks. I know that it can overheat, just like my Pumpkin.' _Mine looked up and saw Seryu jump into the air. "Oh oh!" Mine then turned and started running towards another rock that was a few yards away.

"Taste the Enma's Spear of Justice!" she yelled as she launched it like a rocket.

The drill attached itself to the rock. _'Oh no!' _Before could try to make a long jump, the drill detonated and caused an explosion sending Mine flying to another rock. "Ugh!" Mine groaned a little after escaping that explosion. She slowly sat up and saw Seryu coming after her from above. _'They're not Imperial Arms, but they're really strong, though.' _Mine fired two shots which grazed her stomach.

"You bitch!" Seryu roared, as she fired two shots at her opponent from the pistol in her mouth, but Mine used Pumpkin as a shield to deflect the bullets. Seryu quickly landed before Mine and threw wild heavy swings at Mai's face.

"How dare you people taint Flare!?" Seryu yelled, as she threw punches, before landing a successful uppercut onto Mine, which sent her flying upwards.

"Gah!" Mine spot blood from her mouth, as she flew within midair. As she landed, the bows on her hair had released itself, making her hair long. Mine was now in critical condition, as she was in a lot of pain.

Seryu panted heavily, as she placed her hand over her wound. _'Because of the damage to my body, I couldn't finish her off. I need to be more careful… I can't let it die in me.' _Seryu thought. A fully berserk Koro had jumped from the top of a rock and onto the ground. Seryu turned to see it was her Imperial Arm/companion, Koro.

"Koro, you've regenerated?" Koro nodded to Seryu's question. "That's good. We'll finish her off together, then we'll go and rescue Fl-" Seryu suddenly felt fluids coming from her stomach all the way up to her mouth. She quickly fell on her knees and vomited some blood onto the ground. She continued to vomit for another second. _'Why is this happening to me now, all of a sudden?' _she thought, she slowly stood up with Koro behind her.

Mine was bruised up. Blood dripped down from her nose. As Seryu slowly approached her, Mine gazed upon the full moon and suddenly, memory lane hit her hard. _'Oh… this takes me back to those days…' _She remembered lying on the ground, where citizens would taunt, make fun of her and sometimes beat her because of her bloodline. Mine realized then, that no one was coming to save you. You have to save yourself.

"No… I won't die here." Mine said in a weak voice. She slowly sat up and saw Seryu coming and a twisted left ankle. _'Dammit, my leg!' _She temporarily looked at her hurt ankle. _'Focus, Mine. Focus. Your enemy is right in front of you. You're a badass sniper genius and—' _Seryu slowly started limping towards Mine.

Seryu kept her left hand on her right side to prevent herself from losing too much blood as she limped over. _'I need to use this chance to kill her. It's now or never!'_

Mine's Pumpkin started charging very slowly. Seryu gasped as she saw Pumpkin charging, but still kept going.

'_I'm about to blow your head off, Seryu Ubiquitous.' _Mine closed one eye as she aimed.

'_If I don't get out of the way, she'll end me…! I can't go left or right… which means I need to- Ah!' _Seryu tripped on a rock and fell flat. _'Ow… no!' _she groaned while trying to pick herself up again, but didn't have the strength at the moment.

Mine's Pumpkin continued to charge as Seryu lifted her head staring at Pumpkin. _'Gotcha. Starting the countdown. 'Ten… Nine… Eight…'_

Seryu was on all fours struggling to getting up._ 'No. It can't end like this…'_

'_Seven… Six…'_

Seryu tried to move one foot at a time and tried to lift her back up. _'I have… to go.'_

_Five… Four… Three…'_

"Ah!" Seryu was close to getting back on her feet, but one of her legs gave out causing her to fall on her knees. _'It's no use… I don't have enough blood to keep balance!'_

'_Two… One…'_

While Seryu was lying there staring at her upcoming demise, Koro lied helplessly in the background still slowly regenerating from its injuries. It sadly watched Seryu tried to fight her way out. Koro made a sad dog noise.

"FIRE!" Mine yelled as she pulled the trigger and released a large powerful beam heading straight towards Seryu.

'_No… this can't be it… it can't be the end… I'm not done… defeating evil… protecting the capital… 'General Esdeath… ' _Tears had started streaming from her eyes. _'No… I don't want to die… in a place like this!' _As the large beam headed straight for Seryu, she closed her eyes and had begun to accept her fate. _'I'm sorry, Flare! I never got to rescue you, the way I wanted to…' _Seryu grunted, as Pumpkin's beam is about to make its way towards her, with Koro in his Berserker Mode, rushing towards Seryu's aid.

* * *

"AAAAAAAHHH!" Flare screamed in horror for a moment, as he came to reality. He looked around and saw a himself inside of an asylum room. His upper body was cuffed and wrapped in a white straightjacket. His chest was thumping for some reason, he was in nothing but his boxers, he mouth was a little dry at the moment. "Where am I?" Hee murmured, as he looked around in the asylum room. He heard the metal door open by sound and saw someone walk through.

"Oh good, you're finally awake." said a familiar voice. "You've been asleep for quite a while."

"What?" Flare looked around until he saw Nejenda with an open door behind her.

Najenda stood, facing him, while lighting up her cigarette. "We've had eyes on you for some time, Flare." she said, as she inhaled the smoke from her cigarette and blew it out.

"Najenda... Where am I? What the hell is going on..." He asked, before groaning to his thumping chest. "And why does my chest hurt now?"

"I'll just give it to you straight. The Revolutionary Army is well aware of your Imperial Arms, and what you are capable of..."

"And?"

"And, you were trained by Esdeath, which makes you the more dangerous. So, in order to prevent you from running a muck, I had our doctors gave you some drugs to nullify your Imperial Arm and some drugs to relax your muscles, so that you won't move much."

_'I see now. That's why I feel a little dizzy and my chest is thumping... They drugged my body!' _Flare scowled. "Let me go."

"We can't do that. You're a threat to the Revolutionary Army, and we can't have any chances." Najenda replied.

Flare then thought of something. He knew that Najenda was the leader of Night Raid, though. "Why am I still alive? Don't Night Raid usually assassinate their targets on sight?"

"You're right. We do assassinate targets on sight. We should execute you for capturing two of our allies, alive. Which is worse than killing them."

Flare suddenly remembered looking at the Night Raid posters, saying Dead or Alive on them. "But, how is capturing someone alive worse than killing them? I'm confused." Flare asked.

"As you would probably know, the Empire is in a dark place. The Empire likes to somehow catch enemies or traitors alive and make examples out of them. You may not realize this, but when you captured Sheele and Chelsea, the Empire had probably done horrible, horrible things to them. Tortured them. Raped them. Drowned them. Hung them. Humiliated them. Anything you could imagine happen to a simple human being."

"I kind of knew that stuff would happen would happen."

"Why did involve yourself in this fight and capture two of my subordinates? Was it for the thrill? The money? Or to just make them prime examples?" Najenda questioned.

"No! I captured them because they needed to be stopped. You need to be stopped. Night Raid need to be stopped." Flare answered.

Najenda looked into Flare's golden eyes and could tell that he was serious. "I see..."

"You see what?" He asked in confusion.

Najenda suddenly thought of an idea, as she pulled up another cigarette. "Say, Flare. How would you like to join the Revolutionary Army?"

"Why should I join?"

"Simple, really. You've seen firsthand what the Empire has done to those who rebel against the Empire. Akame told me that you're not a killer, so that's good." Najenda blew some smoke from her lips. "You can really help us put an end to the Empire's tyranny."

"Thanks for the offer, but no thanks." Flare had declined.

"Okay, then. You made your choice." Najenda then turned around and started walking to the door.

"I guess you're not going to tell me where I am, right?" Flare asked as he moved his head around to see his surroundings.

"If I told you, you'd try to escape and make your way back to Esdeath. Then, you'd lead Esdeath and the entire capital here and kill us all, which I cannot allow." Flare is currently in a Revolutionary Army facility, far in the far west of the capital.

"So you're probably gonna execute me here, huh?" Flare guessed.

"Oh no. You're too special for execution." she closed her lighter. "Think of it as a permanent vacation."

"Wait, I'm gonna be here for the rest of my life?" Flare asked, in a little shock.

"That's right." Najenda nodded. "Since you rejected my offer of joining us, there's nothing I can do with you. With you out of the picture, the Revolutionary Army is a step ahead of the Empire. Soon, your friends and Esdeath will die one-by-one." Najenda told him with no hesitation.

Flare shifted his head away from her in disgust. "Then you may as well kill me, because you don't know when I'm getting out of here." He insisted that Najenda kills him, while she has a chance.

"Nice try, but like I said, you're too special for us to kill." Najenda repeated herself, as Flare continued to try to ignore her. Najenda found out earlier that another Jaeger had attacked Mine and Tatsumi. She had her locked up in another area in the facility. "We also have your friend, here in this facility. The red-headed girl with the dog."

Flare silently gasped, and turned to her. "What did you just say?" Flare then knew he was talking about Seryu Ubiquitous.

"It seems like I have your attention, now." Najenda smiled. "She's fine and currently in our custody. I'm trying to decide whether to execute her or not, since she wasn't a target."

"Leave her out of this! She didn't do anything to you!" Flare barked with contempt.

"But, she did. Last night, she targeted two of my subordinates in the Kyocroch ruins and failed. We also have possession of her Imperial Arm, Hekatonkeires." Najenda stated.

Flare gasped. _'Koro!' _

"By the look on your face, it seems that you must know her really well?"

_'She's not wrong about me knowing her, though. But I don't like how they dragged her into this mess.' _Flare thought.

"Just to make sure you two don't make contact, we'll be keeping you two away from each other." Najenda said, which made Flare a little frustrated. "Just came to let you know, though." Najenda stood up and walked straight to the door. "See you around." The door behind her shut.

Flare lied on the asylum bed confused. Not only that he needed to get out, but he needs to now rescue Seryu and Koro. Seryu Ubiquitous was on his mind and that he now needs to rescue her. "Dammit!" he screamed.


	23. The Lioness and the Phoenix

Flare lied in a asylum bed with a white straightjacket on, inside of an asylum room. He heard the door open and saw two women. Two female assassins that Flare had recognized there auras were familiar, and had walked into the cell. There was tall blonde woman was called Leone, and the shorter dark haired one was Akame. The duo walked in the room and approached him.

"Why hello, Flare!" Leone greeted in a weird manner. Leone was partially drunk, due to drinking alcohol before arriving to the asylum. Her face was had a drunken peach fuzz, due to the liquor rushing to her brain. She was sober enough to walk normally and talk in conversations.

Flare glanced at Leone's current appearance. He first saw Leone with her usual attire on, but knew there was something different with Leone. He caught a whiff of Leone and didn't like the smell. _'She reeks of liquor...'_ He noted, as his nose caught the strong scent of liquor. He couldn't stand the smell. He also remembered that he was in a straightjacket, so there wasn't much he could do. He also noted something about Leone.

"What a coincidence that we run into each other, huh, Flare?" Leone asked, as she walked a few inches close to his bed.

Flare couldn't help but ask a certain question. _'No way. Could she be...' _

Leone saw his face, trying to figure out something. "What's the matter?"

"Are you a Cosplayer?" he asked.

"Uh?" Leone looked confused, before bursting out laughing. "You're so funny!" she put her hands on her knees as she laughed it off.

"No, I'm serious! You had a tail, claws and longer hair!" Flare noted out, as Leone laughed a little more.

"She's not wearing a cosplay. You must be speaking of her Imperial Arm." Akame informed Flare

"Oh, then, why are you two here?"

"Leone wanted to make you an offer." Akame said.

"What kind of offer?" Flare asked.

Leone brushed his hand with her hand. "I want you to come join-"

"I'm not joining Night Raid." Flare shifted his head and turned away.

"That's not what Leone was going to say. She was about to ask you to have a drink with her." Akame said, bluntly.

"Drinking? I don't do alcohol in general."

"Okay, then how about sex?" Leone moved close to Flare.

"Sex?" Flare blushed, as he turned towards the females. "With you?" He asked Leone.

"Yep!" Leone smiled. "You're the only hot guy around, so it's now or never. Get it while you can." She bragged.

"No way! I'm in a relationship. There's someone that I like already!" Flare yelled.

"Then, you must've had sex if you like them, right?" Leone teased, as she leaned her bosom forward. Flare didn't say anything, nor did he ever deny it. "I knew it! You're not a virgin."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Flare replied embarrassed.

"Right now, you're in luck. You get to have sex with the beautiful lady." Leone pointed at herself with her thumb.

"I just said, that I am in a relationship!" Flare glanced towards Akame. "What's Akame doing here?"

"I lost a bet to Leone, so I have to stand guard, while she has sex with you." Akame said, honestly.

_'Dammit, I'm about to be violated by a drunk assassin.' _Flare's eyes looked the other direction.

"Now, that's my best friend. She knows me real well." Leone reeled Akame by her side and grinned. "Akame and I are actually bisexuals."

"Technically, that means we're gay." Akame stated.

"Why am I not surprised?" Flare thought out loud, thinking back on their teamwork against him and Bols a few weeks back.

Leone glanced at his abs. _'He's actually bulked, like Tatsumi. He'll be fun to seduce with.' _Leone continued to look at his chest. "Wow, you're totally ripped! I swear, if you were on our side, you'd be all mine." Leone snickered.

"Well, I'm not yours, so you could just leave me alone and forget all this." Flare tried to convince.

All of a sudden, an idea had popped up in Leone's head and she grinned in a seductive way. "Hey, Akame."

"What is it, Leone?" Akame responded. Leone moved her faced towards Akame and whispered a plan through her ear. "Really?"

"Let's see if this works..." Leone whispered.

Flare couldn't make out what Leone was whispering, but he felt something wasn't going to be good for him. _'This can't be good at all.' _Without warning, Leone transformed into her beast state, **Lionel. **Her hair grew past her upper back, she gained a pair lion claws, a pair of lion ears on top of her head and a lion tail.

"Ta-da!" Leone presented her Lionel form to Flare. "This is my badass Lionel state. I am stronger and faster than I was before." She bragged.

_'So, this is what she used, when we fought.' _Flare had reminisced about their fight. _Her Imperial Arm makes her transform into a beast, but still making her human. It must grant her plenty of power to fight against Danger Beasts." "_That's so amazing!" Flare thought out loud, as he watched her transformation.

Leone smiled confidently. "Thanks for telling me that. But that was only the first transformation..."

"Leone. You can't be-" Akame was quickly shushed, as her mouth was covered by Leone's claw, muffling.

"Akame, I know what I'm doing." She whispered, as she let go of Akame's mouth. "Now, time for me to show you my second transformation." Leone raised two fingers up. Flare stared and watched until Leone stripped from their clothing in front of him, whom is currently restrained. She placed their clothing into one pile, so that they won't get lost. She kept her belt-like Imperial Arm, Lionel in order to transform.

Flare wasn't surprised to see Leone's nude physique, due to being with Esdeath and Seryu. He had no reaction to Leone's physique. In a way, she was pretty, with her smooth curve, those big breasts and her golden womanhood.

Flare saw her breasts and silently noted that they're almost as big as Esdeath's.

"Ta-da! So, how do you like us now?" Leone teased, as she threw her arms behind her head, revealing her hairless armpits.

"You're prettier with the long hair and tail... I guess." Flare responded.

"Aw... I didn't satisfy him." Leone jokingly pouted.

"Allow me." Akame walked towards Flare and started stripping, herself. She took her time as she removed her clothing and put them in a pile, close to Leone's. All that was left was her skin and long black hair. "Done."

Flare blushed at Akame and had bit his bottom lip to keep his mouth shut. He saw her pretty curve figure, her long black hair that covered her backside, her hairless vagina, her round breasts and her blood red eyes gazing at him. She was gorgeous.

Leone spotted Flare's member growing inside of his boxers. She clutched her stomach and laughed of how embarrassed he was. "Haha! He's nervous!"

"Could you even blame me! I-It's a guy thing!" Flare yelled.

"What's a guy thing?" Leone purred like a cat, as she moved close to his face.

Flare shifted his head to the opposite direction to hide his reaction.

"Uh?" Leone saw the bulge in his boxers move a little. "Hmm." Leone thought what to do with him for a moment, then imagined a light bulb shining over her head. She looked at the straightjacket, then turned to Akame. "Hey, Akame. Do something about that."

"But boss said that we're-"

"I know what we said. I just wanna have a little fun with him."

Flare looked at Leone. "What?"

Akame silently sighed, then walked to her pile of clothes on the floor. She bent down to pick up her Murasame, exposing her ass to Flare.

His eyes widened, as he stared at her nice ass. _'Oh god.' _

Akame picked up Murasame from the floor and drew it from its sheath. She walked towards pointed the tip towards Flare's cheek, a few centimeters from touching his skin. Flare stood still as he stared at the deadly blade. He knew that Akame was serious. Thinking that she could kill him at any point now. He did not speak, he did not move an inch, as he knew what Murasame was capable of. A little scared that Akame might kill him here and now. _'She wouldn't... this doesn't make sense. I'm supposed to be a prisoner, right? Why? Why is she glancing at me... like she want to kill me?' _

"I'm sorry. I know you don't deserve this." Akame muttered.

_'I'm dead!' _Flare tried not to flinch and closed his eyes shut out of fear. He then heard two slashes come from the blade, Murasame. He suddenly felt his arms and shoulders free. He slowly opened one eye and saw that his straightjacket had been cut loose. then opened the other eye.

"It's done, Leone." Akame said, then withdrew her Imperial Arm back into it sheath.

"Hey, why did you-" Before Flare could ask Akame why she freed him from the straightjacket, Leone pinned him, roughly. She crawled over his body, pinned his chest down with one hand bent and the other hand was wrapped claw around his throat, strangling him. "Guh!" He gasped for air.

"Listen. I really like you, so I hope you can make this night a lot easier for me." Leone smiled.

"You're better off doing what she says. It's best to not make a lion angry." Akame added, as she looked at the choking Flare.

Flare looked at Akame when she said that, then looked towards her strangler, Leone. "What... do you want?" He slowly asked, as he being strangled.

"Oh, I'm glad you asked," she put on an innocent smile. "I heard how good. And I think you know what I mean."

"So, you're to... rape me?"

"That's right." Leone nodded with a cougar smile. "Just know that if you refuse or try to escape the room, not only will Akame kill you... but also she'll go and kill your red-headed friend, right now." she threatend Seryu's life. "Do you hear me?"

Flare gasped, as he knew that Seryu was in the facility. _'This sucks! Not only am I a prisoner of the Revolutionary Army, but I'm about to be raped by the most dangerous group, Night Raid. And what's worst, Seryu is here, captured... alone. And Koro's probably been taken from her. She's all alone... and she went out of her way and tried to rescue me.'_ Flare thought about Seryu's well being first. _'If anything happens to her, then It'll be because of me. This is my fault... I dragged her into this mess! I need to do what I can to save her!' _Flare's golden eyes then met Leone's and gave a calm face. _'Even if it means that I have to be violated by them, then so be it. I care about Seryu, more than I care about my own well being... so, yeah. That's my answer.' _

"So, did you decided what your answer is?" Leone asked.

"Yeah, I'll do it." Flare said, calmly.

"Are you sure?" Leone lessened the grip around his throat.

"Yes. I will have sex with you."

"Are you sure that this is what you want? If word gets out, saying that you were involved with someone from Night Raid, you'd be listed as a traitor." Akame asked, questioning his morals.

"I don't care, if the entire Empire hates me for what's about to happen. I just want to protect the innocent people living in fear and terror. I want to change the Empire." Flare glanced at Akame.

"Flare," Flare turned his attention to Leone. "Do you care about me?" Leone asked, smiling.

"It might take some time, but yes. I can grow to care about you. So, let's do this already." He answered.

"Huh. You really wanna do this, do you?" Leone looked a little confused, before finally letting go of his throat.

Flare sat up a little and nodded. _'It's not that I wanna do it, it's that I have to... Seryu's life is on the line, here.' _

Akame watched Flare accept Leone's request and thought to herself. _'He's really putting his body on the line, just to protect his comrade. And he doesn't care if this affects his career with the Empire.' _Akame could see the determination within Flare and felt a little bad for what they're putting him through.

Flare then spotted Akame walking to him for some odd reason. _'Akame? What is she doing no- Mmph!' _Flare's eyes widened in surprise, as his face was reeled in and being kissed by Akame. His face was red, as he couldn't believe it. Akame of Night Raid was kissing him.

"Mmm," Akame moaned, as her eyes were closed, as she had kissed Flare's lips. Slipping her tongue in his mouth. After a moment, she had finally broken the kiss, leaving a thin line of saliva from her lips and smiled.

"Akame," Flare gazed at Akame's face.

"Good luck." Akame smiled. She grabbed her clothes and put them back on. Then walked to the door and slowly opened it. "I'll be back, shortly." Akame walked out the room and knew where to go.

As Akame had left the room, Flare and Leone did not take their eyes off each other, as they gaze. Leone moved closer to his body and whispered into his ear. "I see what you're trying to do. You think letting me screw you will buy your girlfriend plenty of time to escape, right? It may be pointless, but also kinda sweet." she licked his earlobe and pushed him down on the bed and crawled over his body.

Flare's pair of golden eyes met hers. "It's okay that you like me, but if you're threatening my girlfriend to get to me, then you could jus-" Without warning, Leone had acted on instinct and had bitten Flare on his left shoulder. "Aargh!" He screamed, as Leone sunk her lion-like fangs into his flesh. Blood from Flare's shoulder slowly bled.

"Mmm," Leone licked her lips and tasted his blood. _'So good.' _Within a second, Leone had gasped in surprise. Her golden eyes had widened, as she felt something surging within her body. _'What is this I'm feeling...?' _Golden aura, with a tad bit of fiery orange had coated Leone's body. She could hear the sound of her heart thumping, she could feel her chest tighten, her nipples had erected. _'I feel... I feel...' _She shut her eyes, then reopened them, now filled with love and lust.

Flare panted a bit, as the bite marks on his shoulder had regenerated. "What... was that?" He questioned. Leone turned to Flare, revealing the lust within her golden eyes. "Leone?" He saw the smile and blush on her face, the lust in her eyes. "Oh crap."

Leone leaned her chest forward and pushing him down. Before Flare could say anymore, Leone pressed her lips against his, kissing him. In Flare's mind, all he could think about was the lust in her eyes. He knew he's seen them before, but where.

Their eyes closed, their tongues made contact and fought for dominance. Leone had always been prideful of her abilities, and was not scared to show them off. She won out of dominance and moaned, as she explored his mouth hole.

To her surprise, Flare ended up on his back again and Leone on all fours over him, like a animal had pounced on its prey. He looked at her big breasts, as they jiggled a bit.

"Do you like titties, Flare?" Flare silently gulped and nodded at her, then continued staring at them. "Go ahead. I won't bite." She joked, revealing a fang. One of his hands moved on its own and touched her breasts. That made her moan softly, as she bent on all fours over him. He played with her breasts and teased pink nipples, nonstop for fifteen seconds.

"Do you like it?" Flare saw a smile and small blush on her face, as she moaned. He moved his hands around her chest and shoulders, earning a purr.

Leone brought her head down and her hot tongue explored his mouth hole. She stroked his dark hair, as she continued to explore. A minute after, Leone flipped herself on her back and lied next to him. "Now it's your turn." she threw her arms behind her head.

"R-really? Bout that time?" He asked, as he sat up and glanced at her figure.

"Mm-hmm." Leone nodded, as lied with little care in the world. He slowly crawled over her body, and started making work of her. He bit and nibbled on her left catlike ear with his teeth, it made her hot and got her excited. "Oh," she moaned, as he worked downwards, kissing her lips to nibbled on her left collarbone. He got to her breasts, he used his left hand and massaged Leone's right breast, while he worked her left breast with his mouth. He licked her left breast a few times and played with her nipple with his teeth. Leone gasped, as she could feel her nipple erect again. "Oh, Flare!" she moaned, out loud. He moved downwards, kissing her stomach inch by inch and licked her navel. Leone stroked his hair with her claws, as he licked her novel and moaned. _'So good...' _He kissed down, spotted her pussy and stopped for a moment.

"What's stopping you, blaze boy? Suck my clit, like how you do with your girlfriend." Leone chuckled, as she spread her legs wide enough and used two fingers, revealing her virgin clitoris.

_'Hey, what's new?' _Flare thought, he grabbed her thighs to keep them spread and lowered his head. He blew his hot breath into her clit, which made her moan loud. He also sucked her clit like she told him to, causing her chest to jerk up, her eyes shot wide in shock and her mouth shot open.

_'Oh god, this feels so good...!' S_he thought. Flare stopped sucking and pushed his body up from over her. "Aww, why'd you stop?" Leone pouted, as she wanted him to suck longer. She looked and saw Flare's erection in her boxers and chuckled. "Take it off. I want to meet your dick."

Flare got a little embarrassed after hearing what she had just said. 'She's_ really gonna let me hit it... Alright, you asked for it.' _He looked down at his lower body and could feel his member growing in his removed his boxers, now completely naked. Leone looked and saw how developed his member was. She blushed at how mature it was and snickered. "Oh my god, I never seen a dick this big!"

"Um... thanks?" Flare took that as kind of a compliment.

"Come on, what are you waiting for?" Leone chuckled and threw her arms behind her head. "I won't bite it off."

"Thanks for the heads up." Flare felt a little relieved. He took his member and positioned it close to Leone's vagina.

"What's the hold up?" Leone asked, as she looked down at her body and saw Flare tryna position his member.

"I don't know if it will... fit. This is your first time, right?" Flare asked.

Leone blushed and chuckled at the same time. "You're sure right about that. Now come here."

_'I'm sure as hell am going to regret this at later on.' _Flare thought, as he moved closer and was about to put his member inside the lioness vagina. Then, he heard the squeaky hinges come from the door and it opened, which made Flare stop in place. He gasped, as he saw Akame. _'Akame!' _he instantly backed away from over Leone.

Leone was on her back and Flare was over, about to penetrate her. A normal woman would've called it rape, but Akame knew it was Leone's horny side.

Leone sat up and waved at Akame. "What's up, Akame?" she asked, cheerfully.

"Leone, I came to tell you the boss said we're leaving in thirty minutes for our mission." Akame informed her friend of the continuation of the assassination of Chancelor Bolic.

"Aw, really?" Leone pouted, hoping that she gets to blackmail Flare, a little longer.

"Yes. Get dressed, quickly." Akame said, before leaving the room.

Leone scoffed. "Fine."

_'Whew. What a relief. Thanks, Akame.' _Flare sighed in his head, as he had been saved.

_'Aw man. I was hoping I could get dick from a Flare, but I guess that will have to wait.' _She glanced at Flare, whom was looking back. She knew he was looking, so she decided to act slick. "Alright, I'm gonna take a quick shower. Care to join me, my love?" Leone asked, as she bent over and stretched to pick up her clothes and paused, giving Flare a chance to see her ass.

"I'll pass on that." Flare declined.

"Come on, it'll be fun," Leone tried to convince, but still... he declined. She walked towards and sat on the bed next to him. She sighed. "Alright, you win."

He looked into Leone's pair of golden eyes. "Win? Are you serious? I'm far from winning, if you ask me-" Without a warning or hesitation, Leone grabbed him and smothered Flare within her breasts. "Mmmph!" Flare muffled inside her bosom,as he tried to break free. His Imperial Arms hadn't returned, yet. And Leone used pressure with her arms wrapped around his head. He tried to move his arms to push off her lips, but failed. _'Dammit...' _Flare couldn't help, but think about the last time he suffocated inside of a woman's breasts. He suddenly thought about Esdeath. _'Oh yeah, this takes me back... Esdeath... I hope you're safe...' _His last thoughts, before he passed out.

Leone lied him down on the bed and stared at his nude and unconscious. "Of, Flare," she chuckled, as she saw Flare's face sleep peacefully. "You might not have gotten the best way," she whispered, as she put her clothes back on. "But, I'm glad I got to spend time with you." she moved closer to his body and kissed his lips. "We'll finish this one day, my love." she murmured and left the room.

Meanwhile, Seryu Ubiquitous was in different asylum room, all alone. She was in nothing, but her light pink bra and panties. There was nothing but a dirty bed in the large white room. No windows, no bars, no toilet, just a big metal door before her. Seryu curled herself in a corner, filled with sadness, loneliness and in defeat.

She knows very well, that she lost to Mine. All of her Phase weapons had been either destroyed or used up. Koro had been taking from her after her loss. There was no one to come save her, after breaking the rules. Her eyes were filled with emptiness. A thin stream of tears rolled down her soft face. _'I'm sorry... someone... anyone... please save me...' _she pleaded for someone to save her, mentally broken.

* * *

**Author's Note: I know that this was more of a blackmail, chapter. I wanna tell everyone that, this chapter does not confirm anything. Flare is NOT a member of Night Raid or apart of the Revolutionary Army, nor is Leone apart of Flare's harem. She just wanted to have her way with him, but not all the way. **

**Next chapter will be focused on Esdeath fighting Night Raid, for those who read the Manga.**


	24. Despair part One

The sky was night, the crescent moonlight illuminated the chapel, and there was a warm weather that blew among the landscape. The atmosphere was normal, before Night Raid had arrived.

Inside of a chapel, the Jaegers were assigned to protect Chancellor Bolic from Night Raid. However, three members of Night Raid had appeared in its sanctuary.

"Long time no see, Najenda." Esdeath greeted her old colleague and traitor to the Empire, Najenda. Esdeath's mind was filled with confidents.

Behind Esdeath was Chancellor Bolic, whom was sitting in his chair, on the altar. He is currently being guarded by Kurome and a reanimated Najenda on each side of him.

And behind Najenda were her subordinate Leone, and her Imperial Arm, Susanoo. The three had came to the chapter for one goal. To assassinate Chancellor Bolic.

"Esdeath…" Najenda hissed.

Meanwhile, Bolic stared at the trio with his eyes. _'So, that's Night Raid.' _He thought. "Hm?" He then caught a glimpse at Leone's physique and stared at her bosom, while she wasn't paying attention to him. _'Oh ho, ho…' _he smirked. _'How seductive…' _Bolic started thinking of perverted thoughts about the blonde assassin.

Esdeath slowly drew out her silver rapier from sheath with ease. "Najenda, you went through all the trouble of coming out here. I'm touched…" she said that last part with sarcasm. "I'll tell you what, let's catch up afterwards… in the torture chamber." She smiled darkly and pointed her rapier towards her and started an open conversation.

"I'll pass. You're the last person that I wanna talk to." Najenda said in a cold manner.

"Aw, you're as cold as ever, Najenda. Speaking of talking, there's something I would like to discuss right now."

"And that is…"

"You've captured two of my subordinates. And I would like one of them back, right now." Esdeath got to the topic.

"You mean, Flare?" Najenda asked, which made Leone smile.

"That's right. I would like you to hand him over to me." She asked, politely.

"I'm afraid that's not an option." Najenda declined. "Also, what about your other subordinate we captured? Don't you want her back, as well?"

Esdeath shook her head no. "No. She broke the rules, so now, she must pay for it. You can go and kill her, if you like." There was no remorse in Esdeath's voice.

'_And she thinks that I'm cold…' _Najenda thought, as she stared at Esdeath, with her one eye.

"Oh, and I forget, there's something that I like to add onto this conversation." Esdeath added.

"Why would I care about what else you have to say?"

"Hm, I thought… that you would want to know about the two Night Raid girls Flare managed to capture alive, but since you don't care…" Esdeath smiled, learning the reactions of Night Raid. Najenda gasped and Leone gasped after learning that both Sheele and Chelsea are alive. Susanoo showed no reaction, whatsoever.

"Just what the hell did you do to them?" Najenda asked, as her mechanical arm shook a bit.

"Nothing, really. I tried torturing them both, interrogation, spraying them down with water, but nothing just seems to be working. I commend you for training your subordinates well, not to spill anything, Najenda."

Najenda gripped her mechanical fist in frustration, then took a quick breather. "I want to thank you for not killing my subordinates, Esdeath. I'm grateful for that."

'_What is she doing?' _Esdeath thought, as she stood in front of Najenda.

"But if we wanted Sheele and Chelsea back, we're gonna be the ones to rescue them, not have you hand them over to us!" Najenda yelled, proudly.

'_So, the two Night Raid members Esdeath captured are women?' _Bolic grinned. _'Heh. I'll kidnap em while they're in custody, make the two my concubines and have them bare my children!' _Bolic imagined himself capturing Sheele and Chelsea from the Empire, taking them to his headquarters, raping them and having them both bare his children for nine months. _'I'm a genius!' _

Kurome glanced over at Bolic in his imagination, and looked at him in disgust.

"I don't mean to brag, but I have developed a Trump Card for you all." Esdeath bragged a bit.

"I thought you said that your Imperial Arm, Demon's Extract had no Trump Card." Najenda recalled, through a conversation she had with Esdeath in the past.

"That's why I invented one. You'll be amazed when you find out." She said.

"Did she really have to brag?" Susanoo muttered.

"It's impossible to create your own Trump Card, right?" Leone asked.

"That's just like Esdeath. She's getting stronger by the day." Najenda noted.

'_But the thing about my Trump Card is… I can only use it once a day. I need to time it just right, then.' _Esdeath stood and smiled. "Kurome. Focus on guarding Bolic. If anyone reaches the alter, cut them down with you Yatsufusa." Esdeath ordered.

"Roger!" Kurome answered. _'If I know my big sister, she'll be here really soon. I'll have to be ready for her.' _

Meanwhile, Tatsumi, whom is in his Incursio armor and is using it's invisibility Trump Card to hide behind a close wall and listen to their conversation.

'_I have to wait. I'm supposed to strike down Bolic, during the boss and Esdeath's conversation. I gotta focus on that!' _Tatsumi stared at the high and mighty Bolic from a few feet away.

"That's enough chatting," Esdeath pointed her rapier at the ceiling and summoned a boulder-sized chunk of ice from above. "Let's see you handle this, Night Raid!" she yelled, with excitement in her voice.

Najenda and Leone had worried and stunned looks, as the chunk of ice was coming down on them, while Susanoo glared and jumped forward.

"Get behind me!" Susanoo yelled. He jumped high and struck the ice multiple times with his large mace, until he shattered the large ice into pieces.

'_He's tough,' _Esdeath silently noted. "Try this!" Esdeath shot good a number of ice daggers at Susanoo, whom had encountered most of them with his wolf mace. Susanoo pressed a button and blades came between the lines of his white piece mace. Two ice daggers had penetrated Susanoo's abdomen, making two small wholes within him.

"Nice going, General!" Bolic spoke too soon, as he saw Susanoo's wounds quickly heal. "What?" he swallowed his tongue in shock.

"Nice going, Suu." Leone complimented.

Esdeath's attention was now on Susanoo. She glanced at the red core on Susanoo's chest and noticed that it was cracked. "Are you… the Organic-Type Imperial Arm from the reports?"

"I am." Susanoo replied, as he took a battle stance.

Esdeath pointed at him. "Then, you must been the one who fought and captured Flare in Kyocroch, right? I can tell by looking at that red thing on your chest. He must've damaged you good."

"Correct. He's worth fighting with again." Susanoo said as he acknowledged Flare.

"This is getting interesting!" Esdeath yelled, as she fired more ice daggers at the group.

"Bring it!" Susanoo yelled. He activated his mace and obliterated the ice daggers shot right at him and charged forward. Najenda took cover behind her trusty Imperial Arm and followed his lead, while Leone had behind some chairs in the sanctuary and leaped towards Esdeath. He got in close range with Esdeath, whom was waiting for him to get close.

"I'll skewer you." She muttered, as she pierced Susanoo's lower chest with a large ice pillar coming from the ground. Susanoo's body was shot flying upwards and crashed onto some long chairs in the sanctuary. He grunted, as he got up and the pillar-sized whole in his chest begun to heal.

However, Leone had approached Esdeath from behind and attempted to strike with a kick. Esdeath quietly smiled and dodged her swing. She jumped from behind Leone and pierced her lower chest with her long silver rapier.

Leone grunted, as she got pierced from behind. _'She has crazy reaction speeds!' _

"Hold on!" Najenda fired her mechanical fist forward, like a missile to separate Leone and Esdeath. And it temporarily worked. Esdeath jumped backwards to get some distance, as she watched the trio recuperate.

"I see now." Esdeath discovered Leone's healing abilities. _'This woman is a human, yet she fights like a Danger Beast and has healing abilities as well. It must be her Imperial Arm's Trump Card.' _She guessed.

Tatsumi, whom is still hidden in his Incursio armor made it to a nearby pillar, staring at Bolic, whom was sitting in a chair, watching the battle take place. _'Alright. The target's right there. I just need to wait for Kurome to leave and-'_

"Alright, Najenda. I now say that it's time for round two—"As Esdeath took a step forward with her rapier at her side, her nose suddenly caught a familiar scent. _'This scent… I know this scent! It can't be…' _She silently gasped, as it took her ten seconds to figure it out. _'Flare? Is he here?' _Esdeath tried doing what Flare had taught her in the past. Sensing auras. She but discovered that Flare is not here.

'_This can't be good… she might've caught on to us.' _Najenda thought, as she stared at Esdeath.

'_No… he's not here. I don't smell anything from Najenda. She would never risk bringing a live hostage.' _She then glanced at the two Night Raid members beside Najenda. _'And that Organic-Type Imperial Arm. It's only bidding is to serve it's master. It shows no love or affection for human beings. That's what the report said.' _She recalled in her mind.

'_Tch!' _Najenda grunted. _'Where's Akame and the others? Are they dealing with the enemy?' _

'_And that leaves…' _Esdeath's blue eyes narrowed to Leone. _'That lion woman. Her outfit is very… inappropriate. Yes, it must be her. Flare's scent is strong with hers.' _"You. The woman with the animal tail." She caught Leone's attention. "What did you do to Flare?"

"How did you…"

"I can smell his scent all over you." Esdeath pointed her blade towards Leone.

'_What is Esdeath talking about?' _The confused Najenda didn't understand for a moment, then gasped as she turned to Leone in disappointment. _'Leone. What did you do?' _

"Your punishment will depend on you answer. I suggest you think carefully, before you speak." Esdeath warned the blonde assassin.

Leone replied by confidently chuckling at the general. "I guess you didn't hear about us, then?"

"Wait… Us?" Esdeath quoted "Us."

'_No, Leone. You didn't…!' _Najenda thought.

"Yeah. The kid and I hit it off, a while ago. I mean, he's talented and all that." Leone bragged a bit.

"Hit… it… off? Talented?" Esdeath hesitated for a bit.

"That's right. I can see why picked him. He's really good, when it comes to it, if you know what I mean." Leone winked.

"Stop, Leone! Don't provoke Esdeath." Najenda ordered.

"Oh come on, boss. I'm just bragging and having some fun. I mean, the ice chick did ask, right?" Leone nudged Najenda's arm.

Esdeath paused, breaking down the words Leone just told her. The hair covering her forehead had overshadowed her eyes, as she lowered her head. She gripped her rapier's hilt tightly and glared at Leone with her cold blue eyes, out of disgust and newfound hatred. "Are you telling me that you're admitting that raped him?"

"Heh." Leone responded with a mild shrug and grin towards blue-haired general, which angered her more.

Esdeath grunted in frustration, then took a deep breath to calm herself. "I want to thank you. You have now just given me an idea," Night Raid were temporarily thrown off. "I know what must do with you all." Esdeath coated her entire body with dark blue sinister aura. "I'll take you to the Minister and deliver him all of your heads!" Her hand touched the ground, summoning ice, freezing part of the chapel floor and created a wave of ice spikes to penetrate their bodies.

Luckily, the three Night Raid members dodged the wave of spikes in time by jumping in the air. Esdeath's agility quickly reached Najenda within a blink of an eye. "Where are you going, Najenda? There's some much I want to talk with you about."

"Guh!" Najenda grunted. Esdeath had chopped the back of her neck with her right hand in midair. Najenda's mind faded, as she was falling. Luckily, Susanoo was below to catch and set the unconscious Najenda at a nearby pillar.

However, Leone charged at the blue-haired General once again and the result ended the same. Esdeath's agility got the better of Leone and she delivered a fierce kick to Leone's lower back, causing her body to crash downwards onto the floor, face first.

Susanoo charged and grunted, as he swung his mace at her, but was too quick to dodge. "Freeze," Esdeath muttered, as she put a hand on Susanoo's face and froze him inside of a solid ice pillar, rendering him. "Capture complete." She then turned to Leone, whom was still conscious. "Hm?"

"Ugh." Leone groaned from the impact of the fall. The hard kick she had just received from Esdeath hadn't completely healed yet. She tried to claw her way up, but was met by Esdeath, whom had stabbed her claw-like hand. "Aagh!" she lightly screamed from the pain.

Esdeath kicked Leone across the face with her stainless, non-scratched white boots, causing the blonde to flip over on her backside. Leone opened her eyes and looked up, only to see Esdeath glaring at her with contempt from above. "I can't believe that Flare was defiled by you of all people." She murmured. "Flare would never mess with anyone from Night Raid."

"How would you know that he-" Leone grunted.

"Because, he promised me!" Esdeath then pierced Leone's abdomen with her rapier, causing her to lightly scream in pain. "Flare made me a promise- that unless a villain, such as you were to threaten his life or someone he loves... he would not intentionally get involved with someone from the Revolutionary Army, nor especially, Night Raid." She answered as she watched Leone's abdomen wound heal itself within about fifteen seconds. "Impressive. Your healing abilities are remarkable." She noted. "But the question is… does your healing ability work multiple places at one, or is it just a singular area at a time?"

Leone panted a bit. "I…"

"Don't answer that question." Esdeath cut Leone off, as she raised her weapon. "Let's test it out."

Leone gulped, as she feared of what was about to happen next. Her eyes widened in shock and fear.

Everything and everyone had that surrounded Esdeath had turned pitch black. It was as if she stepped into a room of void, and there was no one there, except for her and her victim, Leone. "Let's see. How about I start by…" her mind suddenly went black, as she begun the torture-like operation. **"Gouge out your left eye… Cut open a whole in your right cheek… Rip the nails off your left hand… Slice off your right breast… Cut off your right arm… Cut off your left leg… Cut off your right toes, and how about I pierce the tail, as well?" **Esdeath had done all the things she said, horrifically. Her mind and vision had now suddenly cleared, when she finished.

"RRAAAAAAAAAAAAARRGHH!" Leone roared in terror, as she had now been dismembered by the sadistic General Esdeath. Blood spat from her mouth, and little bit of blood poured from her amputated left eye socket, her right arm, right breast and left leg. Leone never imagined that something like this would ever happen to her. She slowly panted, trying to hold on to dear life.

"Oh, you're still alive, eh? That was some impressive vitality." Esdeath chuckled, enjoying the screams and pants.

Tatsumi was horrified of the image of seeing Leone being cut into pieces by the sadistic blue-haired General. Someone that he called big sis was about to be killed, and all he could do was hide and watch.

Leone slowly raised her bleeding left hand into the air, looking at the ceiling above her. "Help me… please… anyone… It... hurts so much." she cried, as tears poured from her left eye. "Ugh." she grunted, as she passed out on the ground, unconscious.

The smile that Esdeath had on her face had turned into a disappointed frown, as she then glared at the unconscious lioness. "Help me? Help me? Are you kidding me? After what you did to Flare, do you think that you deserve any help at all, you whore?!" Esdeath kicked Leone across the face where the whole in her cheek was cut open. "You deserve more than that. I've now decided what I'm gonna do with you."

Tatsumi gritted his teeth in anger and grief, as he watched Esdeath kick Leone like some kind of ball. His eyes watered a little and his blood boiled. _'That bitch!' _Tatsumi's mind was filled with rage.

Out of nowhere, Bolic stood up from his chair and applauded. "Bravo! Bravo, General! You've done a magnificent job of making an example out of Night Raid." He cheered, as he looked at all three members Najenda, Susanoo and now Leone are currently incapacitated. "I should've asked you to protect me from the beginning. These fools couldn't even hold a candle to you." He said, as he walked over to Esdeath.

"Hey, if you walk down there, carelessly, you're on your own from here on out." Kurome warned Bolic, as he walked towards Esdeath.

After hearing Bolic taunt Night Raid, Tatsumi's gears were grinded harder than ever. _'That bastard!' _

"I'll tell you what, General. How about you hand that blonde bimbo over to me, while you finish off the other two? I could put her to use." Bolic asked for Esdeath's permission, and she replied by glancing at Bolic with cold dead eyes, which made him flinch. "Geeh,"

"When you say put her to use, you wouldn't mean by making her your slave by any chance, would you?" she asked.

"W-well, I-I mean—uh." Bolic stuttered.

"Deal." Esdeath said.

"Wait, really?" he asked in confusion.

"Of course. This woman had already done far enough damage to me. Do whatever you want with her. I no longer care, as I had said my peace." She said, irritated and pissed off.

Bolic grinned like a madman. "Splendid…" he muttered, as he grasped his hands together.

"I hope you enjoy your stay in hell…" Esdeath muttered, then sensed murderous intent coming in Four o' clock. _'This is… murderous aura…' _Esdeath glanced over, then dodged Tatsumi's kick within a split second. She jumped back to gain some distance again. "There you are."

"Oh no! Another one!" Bolic cowardly ran back to his high stage and sat in his chair like a frightened child.

"See? I told you." Kurome said.

"Please, you gotta protect me, little girl!" Bolic was on his knees, begging Kurome.

"Alright, just shut up and stop whining." Kurome scoffed.

"Incursio. I had a feeling that you would come. I've always wanted to fight you the most." Esdeath pointed her rapier towards Tatsumi, whom is inside of Icursio's armor.

Tatsumi glanced at Esdeath with anger in her eyes. He was ready to decimate his female opponent with no regards of his own life. _'I can't just sit here and watch big sis get cut into pieces…' _he thought, as he summoned his Incursio spear. "I will never forgive you!" he roared.

"Then come. I'm dying to see who's in that armor." Esdeath joked.

"Urgh," Najenda, whom was groaning from the chop she felt on her neck had started to slowly gain consciousness all of a sudden. "Tatsumi… no," she muttered in her sleep.

It took Tatsumi a few moments to finally calm down, as he was about to fight Esdeath. _'So, this is… the overwhelming presence of the scariest General of the Empire… General Esdeath. She doesn't have the slightest opening. Where can I begin to attack?' _he thought.

Esdeath once again coated her body with dark blue aura, as she approached the Incursio armor-wearing warrior. _'Strange… it's as if I know this person, somewhere… who is that, anyway?' _she thought to herself.

As both combatants were about to battle, the large doors that lead to the sanctuary had suddenly opened by an unknown person. Both combatants stared as an unknown person as he/she had walked into the sanctuary with ease. A near tall slender woman all dressed in purple. She wore a long brown caped hoodie that covered her head, all the way down to her ankles.

Esdeath's eyes squinted towards the person. "What are you doing here? And how did you escape from the chamber?" she pointed her rapier towards the unknown person.

Tatsumi gasped in shock, as he recognized this unknown person. _'It's you…' _Tatsumi's eyes begun to water, as he recognized this person. Everyone had paused, as the person whom had entered the sanctuary happened to be. Sheele, as she removed her hoodie. "Sheele!" Tatsumi yelled. His yell was loud enough to wake Najenda from unconsciousness. Sheele had walked into the battlefield with her Imperial Arm in her hands, Extase.

Najenda rubbed the back of her neck, as she lied on a pillar. _'What was that? Did Tatsumi just say—' _she turned her head to Tatsumi and saw someone she recognized. She then gasped. _'S-Sheele? What's she doing here?' _

Tatsumi couldn't believe his eyes. Instead of running to Sheele with open arms, he raised his Incursio spear and pointed it towards her. "Sheele? Is that really you?" he asked cautiously, waiting for her to reply.

Sheele blinked for a bit, as it took her eight seconds to respond. "Yes. My name is Sheele." She answered slowly.

Tatsumi gasped in relief and dropped his spear to run towards and hug Sheele. "Sheele, it is you."

_'Is that Sheele?'_ Najenda thought to herself as she sat up from the pillar. She then felt a bad omen pass her senses and knew that something was wrong. _'Wait. Something's not right.' _Najenda turned and saw Sheele slowly draw out Extase in an attempt to kill Tatsumi, while he's running. She gasped, as she now just realized. "Tatsumi! Get away from Sheele, right now!" she screamed his name from across the sanctuary.

"So, his name is Tatsumi, huh?" Esdeath asked herself and has now memorized the name.

Tatsumi stopped running and turned towards Najenda. "Boss?" he questioned for a bit, as his guard was down. Sheele took this advantage and dashed towards Tatsumi with tremendous speed with Extase in her hands. He suddenly sensed killing intent within his armor and turned to Sheele, only to be fastly dealt with a critical strike. "What the fu-" Without a quicker warning, Sheele had already struck Tatsumi's chest, inside his Incursio with Extase in her clutches. "Gaah!" Tatsumi spat up some blood from his mouth and the blood on his now inflicted wound on his chest started to bleed, as he fell to the ground.

Sheele walked over Tatsumi and stood, looking down at him with cold empty purple eyes. Tatsumi, whom was still inside of his Incursio Armor raised his hand up, attempting to reach for her former comrade. "Sheele, why would you-"

"My name is Sheele. And my sole purpose... is the elimination of Night Raid."

Tatsumi finally gave out as his hand collapsed on the floor.

"Heh." Esdeath laughed, as she had just witness the betrayal. Then, she turned to Najenda and gave her a cocky smirk Esdeath turned and watched as Incursio's armor slowly dissolve. "Now. Let's see what this Tatsumi fellow looks like? I want to memorize his face so I could torture hi-" Esdeath paused, as she now saw the mage of the person under Incursio's armor. Her eyes widened in shock a little. "What the? It can't be. I-I know you."

"No... Tatsumi." Najenda muttered, as Tatsumi's identity has now been revealed.

"Ieyasu?" she called, as she stood over him and reminisced about the time they spent together on that remote island. "What is Ieyasu doing here?"

_'Ieyasu... Tatsumi must've gave her a fake name so that she wouldn't catch on to him.' _Najenda thought, as she tried to come up with something.

_'This isn't adding up. He told me his name was Ieyasu back then. And now Najenda just called him Tatsumi... So which is it? Is it Ieyasu or is it_ Tatsumi?_ Why? Why would lie to me? And better yet, why is he with of Night Raid to begin with?'_ she asked herself a number of questions within her mind.

* * *

**Let me know how you guys feel about this chapter. Did Leone deserve to be dismembered at all? How do you feel about Sheelee's treachery? And how do you think this battle will end? **


	25. Sheele and Chelsea (Warning)

**This chapter will contain hurt, torture, public humiliation. If you do not like reading things such as sexual assault, harassment or rape, this chapter is not for you. This chapter will be mostly flashbacks of Sheele and chelsea and what they have been through. You have now been warned.**

* * *

"It's over, Najenda." Esdeath laughed as Najenda were sitting on her knees in failure.

"What the hell did you do to Sheele?" Najenda grunted.

Esdeath replied with a confident smile on her face, as she stood winning the battle. "What I did… was make them behave."

"Be… behave? How?" Najenda yelled.

Flashback 

A month prior before the Jaegers had departed to city of Kyocroch. Inside a prison cell, was a Night Raid captive named Sheele. She is currently held prisoner inside of the capital. Her experience as a prisoner was nothing but hell.

Sheele's hands were cuffed to the ceiling as she was hung in the air and her feet were six inches off the ground. She was stripped, naked, and there were whip scars on certain places on her body, below the neck. Some scars were visible. Some scars were deep and critical. Her head hung down in exhaustion from the beating she was delivered.

Despite being a woman, Esdeath was not fazed by seeing a helpless woman naked in front of men. Especially, someone from Night Raid. She glanced at the prison guard with the black whip in his hand. Esdeath could hear the sound of lethal whippings.

"That's enough for today. Drop her." Esdeath demanded.

The guards obeyed as they backed off a bit and lowered the chains. Sheele's feet had touched the ground. Since she had been hanging in the air for a number of hours, she lost feeling in her ankles and fell to her knees immediately. Her cheek hit the ground hard and her ass was in hanging a few centimeters up. She panted as she was tired.

"Well," Esdeath bent down on Sheele's level. "It's only been a few weeks since you arrived and despite being punished… you have not said a single word." Esdeath chuckled. "I'm impressed." She stood right up and glanced down at her curved body. "I guess a few more whippings wouldn't hurt, don't you think?"

Sheele did not answer her question as she remained silent. Esdeath looked at the guard and nodded. "Give her a few more. I don't think she's do—" Esdeath was cut off as she felt something grab her leg. "Oh?"

Sheele had grasped Esdeath's white boot. She knew the torture that she had been endured for weeks was too much. Deep down, she wanted all of the pain to go away. She groveled to Esdeath's feet in fear and pain.

"Please… no more…" Sheele murmured as she let a thin stream of tears roll down her face.

Esdeath paused as she looked down at the Night Raid member. "Then you know what you have to do to get your freedom."

She raised her head towards the icy general. Her purple pupils were filled with pain. She wanted the pain to disappear… but she knew that she could not sell out her family, Night Raid. She slightly shook her head no. "I need water." She whispered.

Esdeath sighed. Part of her started to take pity on Sheele, whom his groveling before her. She glanced at the guard and snapped her fingers. She yanked her leg back and walked away, leaving Sheele lonely on the ground. "Give it to her."

Sheele was left wondering, trying to understand what she meant. Without warning, Sheele was then hit with a powerful roar of water. Her body was splashed by fire whose connected to a brick wall. She was pushed to a corner, hosed down like a contaminated animal. The guard splashed her for another thirty seconds.

"That's enough." Esdeath said.

One of the guards finally turned off the fire hose. Sheele could feel one of her ribs broken due to the heavy pressure of water. She coughed repeatedly as she felt vomit up some water. Her head hung downwards, her body was soak and wet. Her right arm covered her nipples as she lied on all fours.

Esdeath stared and watched as she crawled like a dog. "A dog you are." She and the two guards took their leave and left Sheele alone and naked in a jail cell. One of the guards locked the cell door so that she would not escape.

A few hours after dark, the temperature in the cell had gotten colder and colder. Shortly, Sheele felt this temperature and her body reacted by shaking from the cold weather. Her teeth shook as her body vibrated on the ground. She crawled to a corner and curled into a ball to try and gain warmth.

_'Am I going… to die?' _Sheele thought, scared and freezing.

The next morning, Sheele was seen slouching on the wall, cold and sleeping. Esdeath had the guards stand her up facing her. The grabbed her by the arms and straighten her legs.

"Wake up, Night Raid." One of the guards grabbed her hair, pulling her head upwards.

Sheele slowly opened her eyes and saw Esdeath in front of her with white plastic gloves and a jar. "Good to see that you have survived that cold weather last night," Esdeath referred to the cold weather she produced in attempt to freeze Sheele to death. "Allow me to ask. Are you going to reveal your secrets about Night Raid?"

"Mm-mm," Sheele shook her head no. "I'm sorry, but I can't." she said before sneezing.

"Heh," Esdeath smiled, as she already knew the answer. "I knew it."

"What's in that jar?" Sheele asked. Her sight wasn't that good.

"Oh, you'll see in a bit." Esdeath walked closer in close range so Sheele could get a good view. She then opened a lid to see a jar filled insects. She picked up one of them by its end and held it in front of Sheele.

"What kind of insect… is that?" Sheele was unfamiliar as she looked at it.

"Oh, this? This is called…Marg Centipede. It'll be your new playdate."

**Marg Centipede. **It is a special-class Danger Beast that that is capable of controlling minds. It is a small orange and black centipede that takes the size of an earthworm. The Marg Centipede would enter the host via the ears and make their way to the brain. Once they do, they latch onto the spinal cord and link itself to the brain, causing the victim to fall in their control, whether they are human or Danger Beast. They react negative to both cold and hot temperatures, and they do not work on corpses.

Esdeath had personally trained and tamed these Danger Beasts to follow in her command when she was a teenager, shortly after her clan had been destroyed.

Esdeath moved the crawly Danger Beast close to Sheele's face. The centipede landed onto Sheele's left shoulder, then crawled to her left ear. It took a moment before crawling into Sheele's earhole. Its spikey legs, its slithery body had made it into her head.

Sheele silently gasped as her eyes widened in horror. "AAAAAAAAAHHH!" She screamed in terror as the centipede was roaming inside her head. She continued to scream for approximately fifteen seconds.

The screams had finally stopped when the Danger Beast found her brain and latched itself. Her vision suddenly went from blurry to being completely blackened. She passed out, as the guards held each side of her arm and leg. Her head hung downwards, unconscious.

"Let her go." Esdeath said.

The guards did what she said and Sheele's body dropped to the floor. The guards stared at her body as she didn't move for about a minute.

"Is she dead?" One of the guards asked.

Esdeath stared at her entire body, assuming she was until she saw a pinkie twitch. "No. She's alive," she looked at the guards. "Stand back."

"Yes ma'am." The guards moved to the wall.

Suddenly, Sheele's body started acting on its own. Her body started shaking like it was vibrating, her hands were flat on the floor, her eyes were widened.

"What the—what's wrong with her?" One of the guards asked.

"The Danger Beast is trying to tame the hostess' body for its own. Right now, this woman is doing whatever she can to resist its power. But in the end, the centipede win. I trained them to do my bidding ever since I was a teenager. I taught them that the strong will thrive and the weak will die. If the centipede wins, this woman will forever be a slave to the Empire." Esdeath stated.

She stopped vibrating for a moment and spat out some blood, before her body passed out on the floor. She fell on her face with her body lying.

"She stopped moving… does that mean—"

"Yes. My centipedes has won this fight." Esdeath answered as she knew. _'I've seen many prisoners get possessed by these Danger Beasts almost instantly. But, this woman had put up more of a fight than I thought. I guess it's because either Najenda trained her well or it's probably because she's an Imperial Arm wielder?' _she closed her eyes._ 'Hmph. You've really trained them well, Najenda.'_

"General Esdeath, she's moving!" one of the guards stated.

"Eh?" Esdeath quickly opened her eyes to see what the guard was talking about. She saw a nude Sheele slowly rise on her bare feet and stared at her with empty purple eyes. "Ho, ho." She chuckled.

One of the guards pulled out his sword. "General, should I—"

"No. This is perfect." She walked close in front of Sheele, face to face and smiled. "Nice to see you, my child."

"My… my name is Sheele," She begun. "And my sole purpose… is to eliminate… Night Raid."

"Good." Esdeath smiled, as she stroked the now mind controlled Sheele's cheek. "Let's get to it, then."

End Flashback

Najenda clinched her green mechanical fist. "How dare you… use my subordinate… like she's somee puppet!"

"Oh, and that's not all." Esdeath brushed some of her hair back. "Don't you wanna know what happened to your other subordinate?"

Najenda gasped. _'Chelsea…' _

Flashback once more

A few weeks had passed since Sheele's control was lost. During this time, the Jaegers were split up by Night Raid. A great battle took place in the canyon and there were casualties, which resulted the entire canyon being destroyed from a bomb. Bols was killed, but Flare was able to avenge his fallen comrade by arresting the killer. Ever since that day, Chelsea had been solitary confine and her Imperial Arms confiscated.

Chelsea was sitting on her knees inside of a jailcell. She remained their for a matter of time. She suddenly heard footsteps walking, coming closer, until she saw a long blue-haired woman approach her.

"Ah, so you must be that Night Raid who killed Bols? It's a pleasure to meet you." Esdeath for once saw Chelsea for the first time.

Chelsea remained silent to ignore the General and turned away.

"Aw, don't be like that." Esdeath pouted in awe, as she opened the cell and walked in. "We're both girls. We should at least talk about the boys we like, right?" Esdeath tried to start a conversation, but failed.

Chelsea refused to speak, as she was aware of the sadistic general. Her body was turned the opposite direction as she faced the wall.

"Still not talking, are you? Okay. Let's see if this helps." Esdeath snapped her fingers and three guards had rushed inside the cell and tackled restrained her. Chelsea gasped as she landed on her side. She could feel one of the guards grabbing her legs and holding together. _'W-what?! What are they doing?' _she then felt another guard pull her arms from behind. "H-hey, stop! Let go of me!" A guard had tied some strong rope behind her back to partially restrain her hands. "Stop!" she yelled.

"Oh, so you can speak?" Esdeath asked as she looked down. "You just didn't want to."

"Shut up! As if I wanna speak to a cold witch like you!" Chelsea retaliated.

"Watch your mouth, Night Raid!" One of the guards yelled as he grabbed her head and pinned it.

Esdeath then glared at the redhead in nothing but contempt after what she said. She stomped her heel on the side of Chelsea's head, causing it to bleed a little. Chelsea groaned. "How dare you talk to me like that? I will teach you some manners!" Esdeath drove her white heel onto her head, earning a light scream in pain. She then took a deep breath and removed her heel. "Boys."

"Ma'am?" The guards answered.

"Strip her until there's nothing left." Esdeath ordered.

Chelsea gasped in shock. _'No… she didn't just…"_

"Yes ma'am!" the guards responded as they started removing clothing from her Chelsea's body.

"No! Get off of me!" Chelsea tried to struggle and fight as the male guards grabbed her. She felt her skirt being tugged on, she reacted by kicking the guard in the chin while pinned down on her stomach.

"Dammit." One of the guards yelled after getting kicked in the chin.

"Hold still, you cunt!" Another guard slammed her face on the floor twice to stop her from fighting. The guard that slammed her head in had removed her headphones and threw it at the wall.

"Ugh," She grunted after her face met the floor. Blood ran down her nose as a smudge appeared onto her face. Chelsea felt her skirt removed by the guards. She could hear the tears of clothing. _'No, please… stop!' _Her mind was clouded as he heard the laughter of Esdeath and the guards. They were having fun. It was like a pack of dogs attacking a helpless person. The guards played rough and it didn't take long for the guards to finally remove her clothing, except for the ropes behind her back.

Esdeath smiled as she watched the guards use force on the assassin before her. "Stand her up." The guards stood her up and grabbed her arms. "Oh my," Esdeath giggled a bit, as she stared at Chelsea's figure, her nude body. "Your body look so gorgeous when you're naked." She laughed.

"Stop staring!" Chelsea blushed as Esdeath commented on her body.

"Know this, Night Raid. I'm not sorry for what is about to happen next. You brought this onto yourself." One of the guards opened the door for Esdeath. "Bring her along."

The guards stood her up and shoved out the cell. Chelsea looked at Esdeath whom was leading the way. "Where is she—" she then grunted as one of the guards kicked her back thigh.

"Get going! Move!" A guard yelled.

One of the guards held a spear close to Chelsea's back as she followed Esdeath through a long hall. Male prisoners saw the General walking, and then they saw the naked assassin behind her with three guards. Most of them grinned and liked what they saw. Chelsea's figure. Her long red hair. Her pale skin. She was most of their type.

"God, look at that."

"Oh shit. It's a girl!"

"She must be one of them Night Raid, huh?"

"Yep. And she's a fine looking one, too."

"Damn, she's pretty."

Whistle. "Seeing that's just turning me on."

"Now I feel like I wonna fuck her…"

"I can't wait to get that pussy."

"I hope she's a virgin, because I would make her the luckiest assassin in the world!"

"Boy, would I like to get in that ass right there…"

"I call dibs!"

"No, I call dibs! I'm taking that ass first!"

"No, that bitch is mine!"

"Shut up! I saw her first!"

"Hell no, she's mine!"

"No, me!"

As Chelsea heard a bunch of prisoners talking, chuckling, and argued who gets to fuck her, she couldn't help but feel embarrass and a little lightheaded. She continued walking behind Esdeath through the long hall, until they hit a dead end. They walked inside of a dark chamber.

"Here we are." Esdeath said, as she and Chelsea walked into a darker two storied chamber. She walked close to the edge. "This is where you'll be sleeping."

Chelsea walked a little forward to the edge and saw something. She gasped in horror, as she saw the first floor filled with a bunch of small parasites.

**Flesh Worms. **They are tiny Danger Beasts that take the appearance of maggots and are capable of devouring inside flesh and sucking the sheer will out of a creature or person. One flesh worm alone will not be enough, for a person. If a person or a creature had over a thousand worms within their body and not removed, it could lead to major consequences. If the victim tries to fight back, the worms will cause searing pain within the body, cardiac arrest, rapid aging, shorten lifespan, blindness to the host or even death. They can even lay their eggs inside their victims.

Chelsea took a step back. "Are you telling me… that I—"

"Yes. As for hunting my precious subordinate, this will be your punishment." Esdeath said plainly.

Chelsea glanced over at the pit filled with worms. "No… I can't sleep in there!" she wanted to turn, but the guards pointed their weapons close to her face.

"Get in there!"

"Now now, boys." Esdeath called them at ease.

Chelsea looked at Esdeath and started to tear up. "You can't do this, please! I don't want to go in there!" she sobbed and fell on her knees.

Esdeath tried to ignore Chelsea's cries, but couldn't. She then pulled out her silver rapier, which caught Chelsea's attention. "Fine. If it will make you stop crying." She raised her rapier up in the air.

Chelsea thought that her life was gonna end by the general. _'Maybe I'm the one who need to be punished…' _she closed her eyes shut as she assumed her execution. _'I'm sorry, everyone!' _

Chelsea then heard sword slashes, but didn't feel any pain whatsoever. She slowly opened one her eyes and looked down at her body, only to see it was practically fine. She gasped as she was in one piece. She then looked at her hands to see that they were free from the strong ropes.

"General… Esdeath?" One of the guards asked, as the three remained confused. "What are you doing?"

"Be silence." Esdeath ordered.

Chelsea slowly stood in front of Esdeath. "Wha… what is this? Why?" she asked.

"I forgive you for killing Bols." Esdeath said bluntly.

Chelsea's look of worry had started to turn into a smile with tears of relief, until… "Guh!" she groaned, as she felt a cold hand grabbing her throat. She grabbed Esdeath's hand and tried to remove it.

"But… there's something that I CANNOT forgive you for…" Esdeath said in a cold manner.

_'What… what is she talking about? She just said that she forgave me for killing her subordinate…! So, why is she still hostile?' _she thought while being choked.

"You see… I heard in reports that after you assassinated Bols, you went after another one of my subordinates. Someone I care for."

Chelsea gasped, as she knew what Esdeath was talking about. _'You must mean…' _

"Yes. I will never forgive you for trying to take Flare from me!" Esdeath glared at the redhead, as her voice was dark and cold. Without warning or hesitation, Esdeath had thrown Chelsea up in midair with only one arm.

Everything around Chelsea had slowed down within midair. She gasped. _'Oh, I understand. The one who should receive punishment is me… I really wanted to be accepted… right, Tatsumi? In that split moment while falling, _Chelsea thought of Tatsumi. One last time before assuming that she would die.

She then fell and sunk into the pit of worms, as if it was quicksand. A second later, she tried jumping out, crawling, swimming, but there was too many worms dragging her back into the pool. She screamed in horror, as she tried to fight knock them off her body. She gave out one final scream and reached her arm out towards Esdeath before sinking.

Esdeath smiled at the redhead. "Heh, let's see how long she can keep this up." Esdeath turned towards her guards. "I want you three to fish her out of there in forty hours."

"Yes ma'am!" the guards responded, as they watched her leave.

* * *

Forty-Eight hours have passed. Esdeath returned to the chamber where Chelsea was thrown into the pit of flesh worms with a bright smile on her face.

The guards had fished her out of the pit like she demanded. Chelsea was found conscious lying on her back, naked. She looked paralyzed, but wasn't. Chelsea had been violated by the flesh worms, inside her body and out. Her eyes were filled with a dark red and empty void, tears streamed down her face and her body twitched a bit.

"So, how did she sleep?"

"Not too well." One of the guards answered.

"Is she going to make it?" she asked.

"She's been through hell, but she'll live."

"She has some wrinkles, though." Esdeath noted the wrinkles on her face.

"I guess that's part of the side effect."

"Good. I have something else I would like to try with her." Esdeath smirked, as she opened the jar filled with Marg Centipedes. "Now, hold her still, gentlemen." She said, as she pulled out a small mind controlling centipede. "Haha!"

End Flashback

"There. Now you know what happened to your subordinates. Are you happy now, Najenda?" Esdeath asked.

"No, I'm not! I'm happy that they're both still alive, but… I hate what you've done to them!" Najenda shouted. "Where is Chelsea!?"

"You're smart, Najenda. Why don't you take a guess, Najenda?" Esdeath smiled.

Najenda gasped, as she figured it out. "No, she can't be there…"

* * *

Meanwhile, Flare had woken up in a white asylum room with a white straight jacket. Here was nothing in the room, except for a white asylum bed.

_'How the hell did boobs suddenly become my weakness?' _Flare thought to himself, as he remembered being smothered by Leone. "Dammit, I'm stuck in here. I hope that Seryu's okay." Flare then sensed someone's presence outside the door of the asylum room. _'Who's that? This aura feels familiar, but at the same time it's not…' _Flare glanced at the door to see it slowly open. He looked closely to see who's opening it. He gasped, as he finally saw the mysterious person at the door. A woman, with a dark cloak and long red hair. She also has wrinkles on her face. The mysterious person happened to be Chelsea.

"You're…" Flare hesitated to finish.

"Hello, Flare. My name is Chelsea."

* * *

**I was going to post Despair part Two, but I felt like everyone should know what happened to Sheele and Chelsea. It was kinda tough to make this. Sheele and Chelsea a lot of people's favorite characters and how they suffered horrible deaths. I apologize if I made anyone upset. That's just how writing goes. I will be keeping both Sheele and Chelsea alive throughout this story. **


	26. Despair part Two

'_What's wrong with me? How did I let all this happen?' _Najenda was temporarily in shock. She looked at her green prosthetic arm and shook. _'I was temporarily knocked out in a single blow. I'm supposed to be tougher than that. And I'm supposed to be a strong leader…' _she looked at the confident Esdeath. _'She's gotten a lot more powerful, it's beyond my jurisdiction.'_

Esdeath smiled. "Sheele?" Esdeath called her out, Sheele turned her entire body to face Esdeath. "I want you to cut off Najenda's arms and legs. But keep her alive. I still have things to discuss with her." Esdeath ordered. Sheele slowly nodded and turned to her former superior.

Najenda gasped as Sheele slowly walked towards her with Extase in her clutches. _'Sheele. Chelsea. I'm sorry we didn't make it in time. Now look what Esdeath has done to you. _Najenda thought, as was the only conscious person standing. She was stuck in a pickle, though. Reinforcements had not arrived, yet. What could she do? She pulled on all straws of hope, but couldn't think of a plan to where they could all escape alive. But this time, there was no plan. _'What should I do?'_

And all of a sudden, it was nothing but a pitch-black room in Najenda's mind. Her mind went clear. "I know what to do now." She muttered as she took a deep breath and raised her green prosthetic hand towards Sheele. Her body was then glowing with golden aura. _'It's now or never!'_

"Oh?" Esdeath was a little thrown off and Sheele stopped within her tracks.

"Magatama Manifistation!" Najenda shouted, as she transferred her life force to Susanoo, once more through a golden stream of aura. Susanoo's body begin to charge with electricity and life within the boulder of ice. He started to transform into his Trump Card state. The first time was in the canyon.

"What trickery is this, Najenda?" Esdeath asked.

"We Night Raid are alive and tenacious, and we don't stop until we get what we want. You should know that by now." Najenda smiled. Susanoo then broke out of the ice as if it was glass. "Now, eliminate Bolic, Susanoo."

Susanoo blitzed towards top speed and the desire to kill Esdeath. Their weapons clash with one another.

"So that is your Trump Card. In order for to activate this transformation, the user must transfer their energy to you, right Najenda?" Esdeath guessed.

"To be honest, yes." Najenda answered.

"I thought so." Esdeath jump back, dodging Susanoo's heavy swing and turned to Sheele. "Sheele. Forget about Najenda for right now and help me deal with-" Before Esdeath could finish her order, she turned her head and gasped, as she saw that Susanoo had already summoned his very long weapon.

"**Ame no Murakumo!" **Susanoo shouted, as he swung his long Murakumo.

Esdeath quickly placed her and on the floor and summoned ten layers of icy pillars to slow down the destructive swing. Both Sheele and Esdeath managed to jump back near the stage.

"You guarded yourself by summoning icy pillars in the air to slow down my attack." Susanoo noted.

"I am impressed by your strength and all, but it won't reach me from where I am." Esdeath said.

"You're right. It won't. But to tell you the truth, I was really aiming for them." Susanoo pointed at Kurome and Bolic.

"What?" Esdeath heard a crash behind her and turned her head to the stage. She saw a dust cloud in filling the stage. "Kurome! Are you alright?" By the dust cleared, she saw that Kurome and Bolic was saved by Natala.

"We're fine!" Kurome yelled.

'_I just want to go home, now.' _Bolic felt sick dealing with all of this.

"Eh?" Kurome watched Natala collapse head first. "Natala!"

'_There's my opening!' _Susanoo just watched Natala fall, and now has a chance to kill his target. He charged passed Esdeath and towards Bolic, who was frightened and scared for his life. Susanoo was about to land a deadly punch until…

"Mahapadma!" The tattoo on Esdeath's chest glowed dark blue aura. Next thing she knew, time had stopped. She turned her head to see everyone frozen. "I've frozen time and space." She murmured. She walked towards Susanoo, whom was a few centimeters close to Bolic. "I developed this technique, so I could assist my darling, Flare and dispose of any enemy within it." Esdeath stabbed Susanoo from behind, piercing his red tomoe core. Next thing you know, time and space was working again.

Susanoo gasped in shock.

"Susanoo! Get out of there!" Najenda yelled.

"Too little," Esdeath then froze Susanoo's body within another rock of ice. "Too late." Esdeath then gave a hard kick, shattering the rock of ice and Susanoo into pieces, leaving nothing but Susanoo's red tomoe core. It fell onto the ground, like a light mask.

'_Susanoo's core…' _Najenda thought.

"I commend you for forcing me to use my Trump Card. No one has ever made me do that before." Esdeath stood over Susanoo's core. "But you what they say," Esdeath then smashed the core with the white heel of her boot. "All good things must come to an end." She chuckled.

Najenda fell on her knees once more and fell into depression. She hung her head in grief and sorrow.

"You gathered an impressive group. Night Raid isn't an assassin organization for nothing. You never cease to amaze me." Esdeath pouted. "It's too bad that you became the leader of Night Raid. Now I can't let you live. I'll just have to finish you off, here." Esdeath took her time walking to the depressed leader of Night Raid, Najenda. "Huh?" As she took a step closer, she noted that pieces of Susanoo's core started to move, as if it was a vibrator. "It is still moving after the core was shattered?" she guessed.

Najenda was shocked after she saw this miracle. _'Susanoo… you continue to fight… even after your core was destroyed…' _

Esdeath smirked, as she watched Susanoo's anatomy come together, like a magnet. "It looks like it can't regenerate anymore."

A stream of tears ran down Najenda's left eye. _'I'm sorry, Susanoo. I failed you.' _She then glanced at her other subordinates in near defeat. _'Leone…' _ Leone loss consciousness from Esdeath's torture. _'Tatsumi…' _Tatsu was cut down by Sheele, who was brainwashed. _'And Sheele… I let them do this to you… if I had known their were others like Esdeath back then, I would've called reinforcements…' _

"Oh?" Esdeath turned and saw tears stream down Najenda's face. "Are you crying?" she smiled, as she never saw Najenda cry. Ever. Not even when she lost her arm and eye.

'_There's no one who can fight now. Not even me. It's over.' _Najenda pound her green prosthetic arm onto the floor.

"Aw, don't beat yourself up. We both know it's your fault you dragged these people into your mess. The least you could do is man up and take responsibility." Esdeath taunted. "Now with all that said…" she pointed her silver rapier towards Najenda's silver hair. "Let me take you to the torture chamber." Esdeath laughed.

All of a sudden, the glass from the church's sealing break. Two people had entered the church from the roof. The shards and pieces fell downwards. Everyone turned their attentions to the two people, who are Mine and Akame. Akame had been hurt in the midsection from the previous battle. The girls frunted as they landed.

Esdeath slowly started to get irritated from the intrusion. "More assassins? Really?"

Akame was shocked. In her mind, she observed her surroundings and asserted everything within a split second. Her friends were on the brink of death, Najenda broke down, Esdeath was on the verge of winning and a mysterious person had appeared as well. She then glared at Esdeath, holding back her rage, her expression.

"Eliminate." She wasted no time charging towards her real target, Bolic.

"Akame!" Bolic shrieked with fear.

Kurome intercepted Akame as their Imperial Arms clash with one another. "You're not getting a fast one on me, this time, big sis." Kurome smiled.

"Kurome!" Akame yelled, as she clashed swords with her sister for a minute. Akame grunted as she felt pain in her midsection from the previous battle. She tried to ignore it.

Kurome saw the wound and taunted. "I see that you met Wave, already. He's really ticked that you would do such horrible things." She smiled. Now he two sisters were fighting arguably and with swords.

Meanwhile, Sheele, whom was in a cloak tried to take Mine's head off with Extase. Mine was able to sense her in time. As Mine dodged and turned around, she aimed her Pumpkin at her.

"I don't know who you are, but you're as sure as hell is going dow-" Mine gasped in shock, as she saw Sheele's face. Shele did not respond, as she was currently brainwashed. Mine's body slightly shook as she faced her former best friend. She lowered her Pumpkin. "Sheele?" Her eyes hesitated. Her body started to shake. Sheele pointed the blade of her Extase towards her opponent. "Sheele? I don't get it, why are you…"

"No, Mine!" Najenda yelled to Mine. "That's not who you think she is!"

"But what do you mean? It's Sheele! She's right there! Who else could have that face!?" Mine argued.

"Mine, listen to me! That's not the kind Sheele you once knew! Right now, she's being controlled!" Najenda informed, as she tried to stand.

"What?"

"My name is Sheele. And my sole purpose is to eliminate Night Raid."

Mine gasped after hearing what Sheele just said. "Sheele, you wouldn't…" Mine started to flashback on the memories the two had. She even promised to rescue Sheele from the Revolutionary Army.

Without hesitation, Sheele begun her assault on Mine as she swung her Extase. All Mine could do was dodge. She tried to run, but Mine was getting emotional and clumsy by the minute. Her best friend is trying to kill her. "Sheele, stop!"

"I'm sorry, but you must die." Sheele responded coldly.

'_It's no use, Mine won't fight back.' _Najenda looked at Tatsumi's half-dead body then looked at Susanoo's remains. "I have no choice." Najenda took a deep breath.

Sheele had continued to chase mine, until she felt a green metal fist collide with her stomach. The punch had enough force to knock Sheele off her feet and pushed her back a to a wall. This left a bruise on her lower chest, as she got up with no reaction. Sheele struggled to get up, now that her stomach was hurting.

Mine stopped running as she looked back and saw that Najenda delivered Sheele a blow to the ribcage. "Huh? Boss? What re you-"

"Get it together, Mine! You can't let this eat you up inside." Najenda said while reeling in her green prosthetic fist like a fishing rod.

"But-"

"Look, I know how much you care about Sheele. Trust me. We all feel that way, too. That's why we're going to rescue her after we kill Bolic. Trust me, Mine. Have I ever lied to you?"

Mine shook her head. "No."

"Have faith, Mine. There will be a day when you and Sheele will reunite. But sadly, today isn't it. After we kill Esdeath, we'll take her to our doctors and remove that parasite from her brain. Just hang on for a little while, got it?"

It took her about five seconds for Mine to change her mood and get serious. "Roger that."

Najenda smiled. "Good. Now let's get back out there and—uh!" Najenda gasped in shock as she felt something metal pierce her. She looked down and saw that Esdeath stabbed Najenda through the chest from behind. Blood reushed from her mouth and dripped onto her bosom. Mine's eyes widened in horror. Akame stopped fighting Kurome for a moment and gasped when Esdeath pierced Najenda from behind. Leone had just gained consciousness and gasped, as her one golden eye had witnessed Najenda being pierced. Tatsumi was still unconscious, though. Esdeath simply smiled after she drove her rapier through Najenda.

_'Esdeath, you…'_ Najenda's left eye and saw Esdeath from a corner.

"You should never let your guard down, remember that, Najenda?" Esdeath smiled, as she pulled her rapier from Najenda's chest.

Najenda grunted as the rapier was removed from her body. Her mind was in shock. She took a few slow steps forward without looking back. She fell on her knees, then landed on her face. Blood started to pour from her wound. Najenda blacked out from the looking to be fatal injury.

* * *

**You can all guess what happens next.**


	27. A Loss for Night Raid

Flare and Chelsea had been running through the hallways of the prison he was captured. His Pyrokinesis hadn't kicked back in yet, due to the drugs nullifying. Flare could still feel a strain on his body as he ran. He and Chelsea were running away from rebel guards, whom had guns firing at them.

Before they were discovered roaming by guards, Flare had found a jumpsuit hidden in the janitor's closet, which he wore.

"Stop them!" a guard yelled as they fired at them.

'_We're almost there, Seryu. Just hang on. A little more.' _Flare thought as they ran. He gasped, as he then sensed Seryu's aura. It was low, but still recognizable. Flare and Chelsea saw a short cut to Seryu's asylum. He could sense her aura getting closer as he ran forward. After a minute of running, Chelsea found a dark corner to hide in. As soon as the guards ran by, missing them, Flare walked out of hiding and went the opposite way, with Chelsea following him.

"I found her," Flare muttered as he had opened a door and found Seryu Ubiquitous in a white asylum room all alone. Flare gasped as he saw Seryu's physical condition. Seryu was stripped into her pink bra and panties. He had bruises in certain places and seemed to be a little skinnier. In his mind, Seryu being here, meant that she went on a rescue attempt and had to pay the price for attacking them All for him. The thought made Flare sad. He walked in the asylum room with Chelsea behind her and stepped carefully towards one of his girlfriends. He bent down to her level.

"Seryu." Flare had called.

Seryu raised her head a little and turned her head around slightly to see who was calling her. As she looked, she glanced and saw the person she cared about most. Her face had a bruise, her eyes were empty and dark at first, and now they are coming to the light, as she stare into his golden eyes. After staring, she gasped as she snapped out of despair.

"F-Flare?" Seryu's asked.

Flare placed a hand on her bruised cheek and smiled. "It's going to be alright. I'm here to rescue you." He stood her up.

After hearing his voice again and knowing it was him in the flesh, Seryu couldn't help but just sob. "Ah!" She buried her face in his chest. She was disappointed within herself.

"W-what's the matter?" Flare asked as he embraced her.

"I'm sorry, Flare. I'm so, so sorry!" Seryu apologized.

"For what?"

"I-I failed to save you…" Seryu sniffled. "You were taken away… I thought that if I go after Night Raid, I could get answers and rescue you from there tyranny. But, I failed! I'm a failure, Flare!" More tears streamed down her face.

"S-stop. Don't say that. You did everything you could to try and stop Night Raid." Flare wiped the tears from her eyes.

"No, you're wrong." Seryu shook her head. "I couldn't even stop them from taking Koro..."

"What?" Flare's eyes widened.

"I was powerless to stop Night Raid from taking him. I passed out while fighting against that pink-haired girl, then suddenly I woke up in here all alone! They would torture me, so that I won't fight back. And they would give me food once a day." Seryu sniffled.

Flare gasped after hearing what Seryu had gone through. He gritted his teeth, to think that the Revolution would submit this kind of torture. And to take Koro away from Seryu, splitting up two buddies was unforgivable.

Flare did the thinkable. To make Seryu feel better, he brushed Seryu's hair away from her eyes and kissed her lips. The warmth of Flare's lips pressed against hers was warm. She yearned for a kiss, as she responded back. The tears in Seryu's eyes had gone thinner and thinner, as she could feel his tongue in her mouth. Her cheeks blushed slightly blushed. Seryu had imagined herself and Flare, the two of them kissing alone in a field surrounded by flowers and on a bright sunny day.

"I love you." Seryu smiled and looked at Flare with love in her eyes.

"I love you, too, Seryu. And Esdeath." Flare replied. And then all of a sudden, he gasped and felt a surge pass throughout his entire body. A bright orange aura coated his body as he felt warmer and warmer. _'My body is...' _Flare held out the palm of his right hand, and suddenly ignited a flame within his hand. _'It's like my Imperial Arms are returning.'_

Seryu gasped. "Flare, your flames..."

"I know. It's like my Imperial Arm just came back on its own." Flare stared at the flame in his hand and wondered what made his Imperial Arm work again. Was it love? Was it friendship?

Seryu's body soared. "Ow..."

Flare saw Seryu ache, and the first thing on his mind was to make sure Sery was healed. "Hold on. Let me help you." he picked Seryu up and lied her on the bed.

Seryu blushed. "W-what are you gonna do?"

"First thing's first. I'm going to treat you." Flare whispered, as his hand ignited light flames on his hands. Flare was prepared to use Flame Recovery to heal Seryu's wounds. "Just hold still."

"I'll try. I trust you." Seryu responded. Flare placed his hands on the injuries Seryu had received on certain places on her body.

While this is happening, Chelsea stood by the door and kept watch in case the guards tried to break in. She carried a knife in her hand so she could slash some throats.

It took Flare a couple of minutes to heal all his his girlfriend's injuries. The light flames on Flare's hands had disappeared. Seryu moaned and sat up, curiously. She looked down at herself to see that the wounds on her body had disappeared. She looked at her healed body and gasped, happily. She hugged Flare with bubbles of water in her eyes. "Thank you, Flare! Thank you! Thank you!"

"I also brought something for you." Flare handed Chelsea a jumpsuit for her to wear. He didn't know what size Seryu wore, so he just grabbed what he could find.

"Now that's outta the way, I need to find a way out of here."

"They're coming closer." Chelsea informed Flare, as she could hear the sound of a bunch of footsteps coming closer.

"Huh?" Seryu looked over at Chelsea and was a little sad and confused. "What is she doing here? Isn't she apart of Night Raid?"

Flare looked at Chelsea and almost forgot. "Well, I guess she was sent by Esdeath, who knows..."

"Oh," Seryu turned to Flare. "What do we do now?"

Flare opened his mouth and was gonna say something, until he heard a loud bang on the door.

"They're in here!" a guard yelled.

Flare, Seryu and Chelsea stare at the barricaded door, while on the other side of the door had rebel guards trying to break down the door.

Flare knew that the guards were here. He turned to Seryu and Chelsea and instructed them to move. "Stay back, you two." Flare pushed the bed by the door and barricaded themselves. Flare then set the bed on fire with his flames.

"What are you doing?" Seryu asked.

"I'm creating a diversion." Flare answered after lighting the bed on fire. Then he set one of the walls on fire, by shooting fireballs. "When the guards break in, they'll find nothing but a room on fire."

"But, what will happen to us? Where will we be?" Seryu asked.

"Away. Far away from here." Flare answered as he walked towards and embraced both Seryu and Chelsea in a group hug.

_'Flare's warm and comforting.' _Seryu moaned as she felt her body getting warm, like a heater. She held onto Flare's chest, tightly. Chelsea had no reaction on her face.

"I'm going to use my Trump Card." he whispered to Seryu, who stayed quiet. It took a few moment Flare to gather enough energy inside. He then felt his energy surging through his veins. "Here goes nothing," Flare took a deep breath as the flames around them intensed. "Trump Card; Pyro Transport!" Flare chanted, and the three had vanished from sight.

**Trump Card; Pyro Transport. **An ability that allows the user to teleport via fire. The user must have a clear mind and imagine their destination. Then the user would automatically transport anywhere they wish. Only drawback is that it takes a mass of energy and would sometimes leave the user fatigue. Unless the user has gone through vigorous training, he/she could use it more than once a day.

* * *

Meanwhile, Najenda was previously stabbed through the heart by Esdeath. She fell face first on the ground. Her hands stretched out, blood leaked from her chest. She looked motionless.

"Boss!" Mine screamed in terror. She dropped Pumpkin and ran to Najenda's side. Tears ran down Mine's face as she couldn't find a pulse.

Leone lied on the floor, with her limbs amputated and watched helplessly as Mine tried to revive Najenda. She silently cried with one eye intact.

Esdeath smiled. "Hmph,"

Bolick cheered on. "You've done it, Esdeath! You killed the traitor! With Najenda dead, the Revolutionary Army will surely fall!" Bolick was high and mighty. The feeling of seeing Najenda made him overconfident.

Mine flipped Najenda on her back to see the stab wound and tried to put pressure, but her hands and wrist sleeves were being stained Najenda's blood as it stained. _'Come on, come on, boss! You can't die! You can't!'_

"It's useless, you fool! Najenda is gonna die, just like you and the rest are going to die here, tonight!"

Akame's face covered with shadow and their long hair blow'd in the wind. Their minds went black and the only words they could here was her target, Bolic, who was taunting Mine about Najenda's condition. Inside her head, she visualized Bolic and only Bolic in a pitch-black room. She then remembered the word her former master made her memorize. "Burry." Akame muttered.

Without warning, Kurome tried to deliver a fatal blow to her older sister, by swinging Yatsufusa at her, horizontally.

"Burry," Akame muttered once more, then dodged at such speed as if her body had teleported.

'_What?' _Kurome was a little surprised that Akame dodged at such speed with a few injuries. _'Where did she go?' _she looked from her left to her right and didn't find Akame in sight. Kurome then sensed Akame's bloodlust and looked up at the ceiling and gasped.

"Oh?" Esdeath had spotted Akame.

Akame was spotted on the sanctuary's ceiling. She bent one knee and stabbed the roof with Murasame so she won't fall. Her hair hung downwards while she was upside down. All eyes were on her now.

'_Akame,' _Leone thought, as she slowly crawled towards Bolic, unseen. Her wounds had not recovered, yet.

'_What is she up to?' _Bolic started to get scared as he saw Akame locking eyes on him from above. His eyes widened in fear and he took a step back, as he predicted her next move.

'_What are you planning, big sis?' _Kurome wondered for a brief second. She gasped as she followed Akame's eyes. She then knew that Akame's eyes were locked on Bolic as she looked back to see Bolic without protection.

After at least two minutes of hangng upside down. "I'll BURRY you!" Akame screamed as she kicked herself off the ceiling, launched herself towards Bolic. Her Murasame was ready to take another life.

'_Oh no you don't…' _Esdeath saw this and was ready to act. She was charging towards Akame, but then was encountered by a certain someone. The person was Tatsumi, who was standing on his two feet and was in his Incursio Armor and with Incursio's spear in his hands. "You…"

Tatsumi stood guard. "I won't let you hurt my friends anymore!"

Esdeath was confused. She saw Tatsumi get slashed u by Sheele. So how is he still standing, she wondered. "How are you even standing? I saw that purple-haired woman strike you down." Tatsumi ignored her question as she pointed her silver rapier towards him.

While Esdeath was not paying attention and focused on Akame, Najenda had regained consciousness for a brief moment. Najenda instructed Mine to bring her to Tatsumi. It has never been done in history before, but Najeda had suddenly transferred enough of her own life force to heal Tatsumi to where he could fight again.

Tatsumi wondered in his mind. _'That was a really close call. If the boss didn't do what she did, I would've been a goner.'_ He remembered being struck down by Sheele, then remembered waking up and finding Najenda bleeding on the floor. Tatsumi gritted his teeth. _'My wound sure have healed, alright.' _Tatsumi graped his chest while in Incursio Armor.

'_Don't worry about me. Just by Akame some time, until Bolic is dealt with.' _Najenda's words.

Meanwhile, Kurome is chasing after Akame, who is launching towards Bolic with an intent to kill.

"Geeh!" Bolic squealed, as he knew his prediction was right all along. Akame was coming to kill him. _'I gotta get outta here!' _Bolic tried to run away, but was suddenly stopped, as his leg was latched onto by Leone's beast hand. He tried to free himself, but Leone wouldn't let go.

"Heh," Leone chuckled, as she looked up and saw fear in his eyes.

Bolic tried to shake Leone off. _'No! Let me go! I don't wanna die! I still have a lot of wor—gyah!'_

Before Bolic could finish his thoughts, he suddenly felt his throat slashed by a certain blade. Murasame's curse wasted no time spreading throughout Bolic's body. His eyes rolled to the back of his head, the dark red kanji had marked his face. He fell backwards to the ground, dead.

Akame stood over Bolic's corpse. "Mission complete." She then clashed once more with her sister, Kurome. Who is irritated that she failed to protect Bolic, but now he's dead.

"How dare you…" Kurome growled.

"Kurome," Akame responded.

Esdeath growled as she lowered her cap. "We failed the mission…" Esdeath then saw a light once more and turned to where Susanoo's remains were. She gasped as she saw Suasnoo, who is now using his Trump Card and is hovering over her head. She gasped as she saw the red tomoe core intact again.

"Hmph," Susanoo grunted.

"But… how?" Esdeath then thought of something. She turned to see Najenda bending on one knee and her green prosthetic arm stretching out, surrounded by golden aura.

"Magatama Manifistation!" Najenda yelled, then spat out some blood from her mouth. Blood poured from her chest as she was still severely injured. Her eye was filled with life and determination.

"She's still alive?" Esdeath questioned. Her mind was interrupted as Tatsumi charged at her with combat. They brawled for a couple of seconds, until Esdeath saw an opening and knocked Tatsumi in the face, sending him flying to a wall. She backhanded him.

Najenda had promised herself that she would see this war to the very end. Even if it cost her own life. _'I have transferred most of my life force to Tatsumi… so that he could fight again…' This frequent usage is supposed to be impossible… I'm well aware that I will die at any moment… but if I don't give Suasnoo every last drop of my life force… then we're all going… to die.' _Najenda spat out more blood and fell face first. _'Susanoo… I'll leave the rest… to you.' _

"Darn you, Najenda!" Esdeath scowled, only to be interrupted once more. This time it was Susanoo. Esdeath was now placed on defense against Susanoo, who was reformed and even stronger than before.

"Boss!" Mine cried as she rushed to her side again.

Tatsumi immediately got up ad walked over to Mine and Najenda. "Boss. I can still fight, too."

"No," Najenda declined Tatsumi. "Run away. You must retreat, now." She panted heavily.

"But why?" Tatsumi asked, then looked to see Esdeath fighting Suasnoo one-one-one. "With Susanoo's current power, he and I can be able to-"

Najenda interrupted. "It still... wouldn't be enough to win kill her. Susanoo is only slightly stronger, because I... used the very last of my life force to make him stronger..."

Tatsumi paused. He just heard a confession from Najenda. His face had a look of shock. "Boss, don't tell me...!"

Najenda slowly nodded. "I don't have long in this world... I also transferred part of my life force... to you, so you could fight again. Don't let it... go to waste by fighting a battle you can't win..."

"Boss," Tatsumi's eyes watered.

"Besides, we completed our mission. Reinforcements will arrive, soon. You all have to get out of here as quick as possible."

Tatsumi looked glanced at a few of his comrades. He saw Susanoo clashing weapons with Esdeath. _'Suu,' _He then looked and saw Akame clashing weapons with Kurome. _'Akame. Mine.' _Tatsumi looked and saw Leone on the ground panting, and with her amputated limbs scattered. "I'll go get big sis." Tatsumi informed Najenda.

Najenda's eye blinked. Her face was towards the ceiling and panted. _'The mission is over, now.' _Najenda closed he eye and visualized her younger self standing before her. She imagined herself with two arms, two eyes and a silver braided ponytail. Her younger visual self smiled. _'With my death coming nearer and nearer... I'll be left behind now.'_ Najenda sighed. _'This is... my last moments on earth... dying peacefully. It's what I deserve, after all.' _Najenda gasped, as she felt her body being carried. She opened her eye and saw Tatsumi carrying her and Leone.

"I got you." Tatsumi said.

"What are you doing? Leave me here..." Najenda panted.

"Sorry boss, but I can't do tat. You're too important."

"As I told you..." Najenda panted. "I will die at any second. Just leave me here, and save ourselves.

"Tch!" Tatsumi grunted and stammered. That smile turned into a frown. "I can't do that! I won't let this icy witch mutilate your corpse!" he shouted.

"Eh?" Najenda gasped.

"Suu, I need a boost!" Tatsumi yelled, as he looked at the ceiling.

* * *

**One Hour Later**

Esdeath, Kurome and a brainwashed Sheele had withstood in the nearly destroyed sanctuary they were surrounded by nothing but rubble and defeat. Kurome had failed to slay her sister Akame. She was disappointed in herself, as she couldn't land a blow on Akame, whom was injured midsection. And Esdeath was happy to be rid of Najenda, but failed to stop Night Raid from retreating, but did. She could've just ended the battle then and there, but was having too much fun. A lot had happened. In front of Esdeath was Susanoo, whom was frozen in ice one more. Susanoo had served his purpose by stalling the Jaegers so that Night Raid. Reinforcements had arrived ten minutes ago, securing the sanctuary.

Esdeath glanced at Susanoo's frozen body. "You were a formidable warrior." she walked towards Susanoo, who is frozen. She raised her silver rapier and was ready to end him. "But I'm afraid tha-" Esdeath paused as she was interrupted by a light and a transporting sound.

"Esdeath, I'm here to help!" Flare said after using Pyro Transport to reach her. Everyone stopped what they were doing as they spotted Flare.

Esdeath gasped, as she heard a familiar voice. _'That voice,' _She slowly turned around and her saw her one and only Her blue eyes met his golden eyes. She gritted her teeth and her eyes watered. She dropped her rapier and embraced him. Tears of joy streamed down her face as they embraced. "I was so worried about you."

"I'm sorry I didn't get here soon enough." Flare apologized, as he looked around and saw casualties, such as Bolic's corpse in the sanctuary.

"It's alright. You're here. That's all that matters." Esdeath smiled as she lifted his chin.

"You sure took your sweet time getting here, you know." Kurome nagged.

Flare ignored Kurome's complaint. "Are you alright, Esdeath?"

"Yes, thank you for asking."

Flare then saw Susanoo frozen in a boulder of ice, incapacitated. "No way," He walked closer to Susanoo's frozen body and recognized him. "It's him."

"Do you know him, Flare?" Esdeath asked.

"Yeah. We fought in that other country. He was really strong, too." Flare said as he gazed upon Susanoo.

Esdeath placed her hands on his shoulders. "It's alright. You don't have to worry about him any longer."

"What are you gonna do?"

"He's a member of Night Raid, so he must be dealt with." Esdeath picked up her rapier and was ready to end Susanoo.

A thought had hit Flare's mind. "Wait. We could use him."

Esdeath stopped and turned her head in confusion. "Use him how?"

"The Revolutionary are collecting Imperial Arms to fight the Empire. I was thinking, that we could use their own weapons against them."

"You want that THING to join the Jaegers!?" Kurome asked in disbelief.

"Hmm," Esdeath gave Flare's idea some thought. "Not a bad idea." Esdeath smiled. "Alright. Susanoo will be our newest recruit of the Jaegers. But we need to find Susanoo a new host, though." Esdeath remembered that Najenda was his former host. She smiled. "Because of what happened tonight, Najenda cannot escape the death this time." she muttered.

Flare gasped in shock. _'Najenda's dead?'_

* * *

Meanwhile, Night Raid had successfully executed Bolic, but escaped from the battlefield with a heavy casualty. Tatsumi had minor injuries after being healed, Akame was injured midsection, Mine had minor injuries, Leone had amputated limbs. But Najenda was worse than all of their conditions. Najenda was on the brink of death, surrounded by her fellow comrades, excluding Lubbock. They hid in a nearby cabin that Susanoo had built, previously.

Najenda lied on a bed, panting. Her body was tucked in covers, her head lied on a double pillow. Akame, Leone, Mine and Tatsumi sat in chairs surrounding the bed Najenda was lying in. They all had extremely sad expressions on their faces.

Najenda turned her head over to look at Akame. "Akame. I am placing you in charge of Night Raid."

Akame had a sad look on her face. "Got it, boss..."

Najenda looked over at Mine, who was crying. "Mine... stay strong. Always look forward and move on... like you always have..."

Mine bald her fists up and tried to wipe her eyes. "I'll try..." Sob. "My hardest not to give up."

Najenda lightly smiled. "Good." She then turned to Leone, who was crying her eyes out. "Leone. You have to take your missions, seriously... while I'm gone."

Leone did not say anything, as she was too upset. She didn't want to let Najenda go, but this is reality. Najenda could hear her sob.

"And Tatsumi..." Najenda called.

Tatsumi cried tears just like the rest of his comrades. "Yes?"

"You're a good kid... I believe in you... In all of you. When I'm gone, don't stop fighting..." pant. "For the Revolution... and the people of the capital." Najenda blinked before her last five breathes. "I believe... you all... can... do it... save the capital... at all costs..." Najenda finally croaked in her bed.

Najenda died.

"Boss!" Najenda's four subordinates shrieked in sorrow.

More than anyone, this death had hit Tatsumi, as if a boulder had dropped from above and landed on him.

"No... this isn't fair! We were supposed to win this together!" Tatsumi cred, as he imagined Bulat, who placed a hand on Tatsumi's shoulder.

* * *

**Thanks for support. Thumbs up.**

**I'm sorry for not introducing one of Flare's Trump Cards, earlier. Trump Card; Pyro Transport was meant to debut on chapter eighteen.**

**Najenda is dead now. How will Night Raid and the Revolutionary Army handle this big loss? Will they rise again, or will they crumble?**


	28. After Three Months

Two days had passed since the incident in Kyocroch. Both the Empire and Revolutionary Army had suffered casualties once again. This time was a huge victory went out for the Empire. The Revolutionary Army had lost their beloved general, Najenda and an Imperial Arm called Susanoo.

Esdeath had Susanoo locked underground, until the Empire could find another suitable user.

The day after Najenda's death, Night Raid had held a silent funeral for her. Her body was buried on a cliff, above their hideout, her stone was a few feet lower than Sayo and Ieyasu's memorial. Her stone had "Najenda. A Hero. A General. A Leader. A Great Boss." written on it. Akame, Leone, Mine and Tatsumi stood in front of her memorial and grieved in front of her grave.

Lubbock on the other hand locked himself in his room. He knocked some books off his shelf and screamed. He took a wooden chair and smashed his window. After a few minutes of raging and breaking things in his room, he finally fell on his knees and cried. He imagined a ghost form Najenda standing before him, smiling and patting his back as he grieved.

Meanwhile, news about Najenda's death had spread throughout the Revolutionary Army like a wildfire. Instead of grieving and giving up, Najenda's death had only added more fuel to the fire, only motivating the rebels even more.

It was a normal sunny day within the capital. There were signs placed upon tall poles in the middle of each and every district, saying that "The Traitor General is Dead", referring to Najenda. These signs were placed within the lower and middle levels of the capital. There were large crowds in each different district who had seen and witnessed the news. If anyone had tried to remove the sign would be persecuted.

In one of the towns, many people were happy that Najenda were dead, there were those who didn't care. But, two spies named Pais and Ritone was shocked and saddened, learning of Najenda's demise.

"No. This can't be real..." Pais' body had silently tremble and her eyes had watered and fear within them.

Ritone was saddened, learning of Najenda's death. He glanced over at his partner and saw her body shaking. He couldn't blame her. The Revolution just lost their figure head. Ritone looked back up at the sign and thought about Night Raid.

* * *

Three months had passed and there has been no sign or mention of Night Raid, nor the Revolutionary Army. Everyone in the capital supposedly lived peacefully for the time being. The sky was covered with gray clouds, flakes of snow had floated from the sky to the ground. People had dressed themselves for winter.

Flare roamed among the streets of the upper levels of the capital, where people instantly recognize him. People responded and waved at him left and right. The citizens of the capital had given positive reactions. It was a normal winter day. Flare had worn black winter pants, brown boots, a hoodless jacket and a red scarf for men around his neck. He roamed the winter streets of the upper levels.

_'I remember when I started working real hard three months ago.'_

During the three month period, Flare has done a various number of missions around the capital, inside the capital and out. He would get up around Five in the morning, and go to the Imperial bulletin board where missions are usually listed, and he would take them. He took odd missions, such as catch thieves, protect people from serial killers, catch Danger Beasts, escort clients to their rendezvous point.

Thanks to Flare, crime rate within the capital had decreased to almost sixty percent.

At first, Flare knew that people would taunt behind his back when he first came to the capital. He also had a feeling that people would start to fear, once they learned of his Imperial Arms. He didn't care, as long as anyone didn't attack him.

People had first assumed that Flare would end up abusing his power and control people out of fear, but they were wrong. Now the citizens in the capital started to see the light within him and acknowledged him for his good deeds.

Flare appreciates people acknowledging him and having someone to look to. Despite all that, Flare had remembered to never let fame or power go to his head. To the citizens, Flare is the most popular Jaeger.

In his mind, Flare had decided that if he wanted to get stronger, than he would have to work even harder than anyone else.

_'It really seems like a peaceful time, here in the capital._ Flare thought as he looked at the clouded sky and watched snowflakes fall. The snow sort of reminded him of one of his girlfriend, Esdeath. _'I wonder, how Esdeath is doing right now? It's been a while since she left.__'_

Flashback

A week ago, Esdeath had been given a special mission from the Prime Minister, himself. She was to departure towards the western nation and even the odds there. The Empire had suffered many casualties against the western nation. Now her job is to eliminate or conquer the western nation.

Flare had met up with Esdeath outside the capital gates to personally send Esdeath off. Earlier, he had rejected her offer of going with her to conquer the western nations, for good reasons.

"Are you sure you don't want to come along with me, darling?" Esdeath asked her beloved Flare in concern. "I would appreciate it if you came along assisted.

"It's okay," Flare smiled and then threw his forearm backwards, pointing his thumb towards the Empire. "I'll take care of the things while you're gone." Esdeath was pleased with Flare's innocent smile and honesty, like many times before.

"I don't know..." Esdeath's eyes narrowed and started to have second thoughts for a moment. "I wouldn't feel right if anything bad happened to you. Are you sure you really don't want to come? Because I'm having second thoughts, now."

"Hey, stop." Flare softly grabbed Esdeath's hands and looked at her. "Listen. I know it might sound tough for you, but I know what I'm doing. I know how strong you are, and I'm proud of you."

Esdeath's eyes made contact with Flare's. "Really?"

"Yeah. Other than Seryu and my family back home, you actually motivate me to get even stronger. If it weren't for you training me, I probably wouldn't have gotten this strong." Flare grasped her hands and chuckled.

Esdeath gasped at the touch of his warm hands in happiness and gave Flare one last hug, placing his head on her chest. "You don't know how much those words mean to me."

Flare blushed a little as his cheek rested on her soft chest and responded by hugging back. "Please return safely."

"I will," Esdeath lifted up Flare's head to her and shared a tender kiss. "I love you." She said as she climbed on to her horse.

"I love you, too." Flare replied.

"Try not to catch any bad girls while I'm gone, kay'?" Esdeath

Flare blushed and nearly reacted. He then switched to acting a little nervous and scratched the back of his neck. "Uh... sure..." He moved back six feet to give Esdeath and her men space.

Esdeath silently chuckled to him. Then she turned to see her men on horseback behind him. "Hyaah!" She grunted, her white horse took charge. Esdeath took the lead with hundreds of Imperial soldiers following her.

Flare watched as Esdeath and her men had ventured off towards the western nation. _'I'll see you soon.' _He smiled, as they left the capital. Then he turned around and headed back into the capital. _'Now I got a lot of work to do. If I want to keep this place safe.'_

End Flashback

Flare saw a crowd of people gathered at once place. He was a little curious of what was gong on, until he saw his friend, Run just standing in one place. Flare then realize Run is just staring at a street performing clown that's putting on a show. _'Something's not right. Run's just sanding there...'_ Flare walked closer to get a better view of what Run was doing. _'__He's__ just staring at that clown. Is that clown somehow causing him trouble?' _Flare saw Run's left side only to see nothing but anger in his eyes as he glared at the clown. Flare then quickly placed a hand on Run's left shoulder to snap him out of reality. "Hey, Run!"

Run gasped, as he snapped out of the dark space and woke back in reality. "Huh? What?" He glanced to his left side only to see Flare's hand on his shoulder. "Oh… It's you, Flare."

"Is something wrong? I don't sense anything evil around here."

"No. it's really nothing. I apologize for startling you, Flare." Run apologized to Flare, then walked somewhere else.

Flare looked at Run's backside, then looked at the clown. _'That's weird. He was glaring at that clown, like he did something to him...' _

Flare continued to walk the streets for a little while, until he saw a tall blonde man dressed in fancy clothing run elsewhere. _'Where's that guy going?' _Flare decided to secretly follow the mysterious running man, until the blonde man had rushed inside of what looks like an abandoned theater. He found a sign that read Umatora theater on it.

"Umatora Theater?" Flare read the sign and had a little flashback.

About a week ago, back when Flare continued to check the Imperial bulletin board, Flare had spotted a paper on there, talking about the Umatora Theater conspiracy.

He looked at the old building for a moment and walked towards it. He didn't know what, but something had told him to go inside. Maybe instincts? A gut feeling? Maybe bit of foresight? He didn't know. He walked towards the steps and sensed people on the other side of the door.

Flare sighed. "Here goes." He opened the doors and walked through the dark auditorium of the theater. As Flare walked closer to the stage, he had heard wooden swords clashing and woman singing, practicing their vocals. He also saw people dressed in fancy clothing. "Hey, excuse me."

"Eh?" Everyone stopped what they were doing and all eyes had landed on Flare. Some people had noticed Flare was there. Some people started gossiping and got good vibes about him. Some of the girls in dresses blushed.

"It's him," One of the girls gossiped to one another, in a good way. Some of the girls happily gasped and blushed.

'_It's Flare. One of the Jaegers. Maybe he can go easy on us.' _The Troupe leader thought as he had approached Flare with a smile on his face and threw his arms out. "Welcome to the Umatora Theater. What can I do for you, FLare?"

"Well," Flare pulled out a folded paper from his pocket, then unfolded. "I heard rumors that this troupe was criticizing or plotting against the Empire through your plays." He showed the leader the paper talking about them.

Some members of the troupe had silently gasped and had worried looks on their faces, as they realized that Flare has caught on. People started to worry that they might get caught and arrested.

The Troupe Leader's body slightly shook. "That's absurd! We would never..."

"Do you mind if I look around a bit? I just want to check if it's safe."

The Troupe Leader gulped. He walked towards Flare and handed him a big pouch of silver coins. "Please, take this..."

The Troupe stared at Flare, waiting for his next move to make. Some of the people feared that their leader had made a false move.

Flare's face was darkened by shadow, as he was just handed an illegal bribe.

The troupe leader's face was a little nervous as he noticed Flare had not budged. A few orbs of sweat had started forming on his face.

"Here, take it back." Flare gave the pouch of coins back to the leader.

The troupe leader and some of the members gasped in confusion. "But, why are you-"

"I don't need money."

"But, are you sure?" The troupe leader asked.

"I came here, because I was curious. I saw one of you running here suspiciously, so I wanted to check something out."

"Sorry, that was me." A tall light blonde-haired man dressed in fancy clothing had stepped forward. "I was running a little late, so I had to run all the way here. I didn't want to miss rehearsal."

"Rehearsal? What are you performing?" Flare turned and asked the troupe leader.

The troupe leader put on a serious face and leaned forward. "Promise me you won't tell anyone. You're right. As you can see, we are criticizing the Empire. We're not apart of the Revolution, though. There's an evil man called the Prime Minister. He's allowing all this chaos to happen, while he sits in the thrown room and fills the young Emperor's head with lies. We are living in fear right now. The Minister instantly silence anyone who starts an uprising. We secretly criticize the Empire through our plays, hoping that the people would get the hints."

"I know. And I believe you."

"Y...you do?" the Troupe Leader paused.

"But if you knew, then why would you come to warn us?" A man dressed as a knight asked.

"Lots of good and innocent people have died because of the likes of the Minister. I agree with what you're saying, but you have to be careful. Sometimes the wrong person could catch the hint and everyone's lives could be ruined." He told the leader.

"So, what are you gong to do about us? I mean..." A woman in a pink dress asked Flare.

"Nothing." Flare told the woman.

Some of the members of the troupe gasped in relief.

"You're letting us walk away?" Another man in a white suit asked.

Flare nodded to the man. "Yeah. I know you're all good people and have good intentions. I want to save as many lives as I can and prevent people from being mercilessly killed."

"You want to help and save us?" A brown-haired boy dressed in a white suit asked.

"That's right. I want all of you to listen, carefully. I'm not from the Empire..."

"What? Then where are you from?" The tall light blonde-haired man asked.

"I came from a village far, far away. I traveled all the way here to put an end to his tyranny and change the capital for the better." Flare had told the entire troupe, as he turned to each and every one of them. "I know I still have a long way to go, but I promise you that things will get better." Flare's speech was a little long and it had brought smiles on the troupe's faces.

Flare looked at a clock hanging off a wall and noticed that he had to go. "Thanks for listening. I need to get going, now." Flare bowed his head, then turned around and walked to the door.

"Wait," The Troupe Leader had stretched his hand out and caught Flare's attention.

Flare heard the Troupe Leader call for him, so he stopped and turned his head. He was a few few away from the door.

"At least take it with you." the Troupe Leader handed Flare the pouch of silver once more.

Flare looked at the big pouch and noticed it was the same pouch of silver coins n his hand. "Is this the same bribe money?"

The Troupe Leader waved his hands no. "N-no! I want you to have it this time, instead of trying to run you off. Thanks to you, my people and I can start having faith now. From now on, we'll try to be more careful, Flare."

"Thanks, uh..." Flare does not know the troupe leader's name.

"Call me James." The Troupe Leader said.

"Thanks, James." Flare then looked at the Troupe on stage.

"And thank you all for your time! Hopefully, I'll come back and see your plays!" Flare waved goodbye to the performers on the stage, as they cheered and applause.

As soon as Flare left the theater doors, he was quickly confronted by a dangerous group. Wild Hunt.

"Well, look who we have here?" said a familiar voice.

Flare had recognized that voice from anywhere. A voice that he could never forget. He turned away from the doors and saw the man who almost killed him back at Mount Fake. Syura walked with four mysterious people with him, which Flare could sense were all dangerous.

Flare started to get angry, as his blood started boiling inside.

"So, you survived that fall. Pissant." Syura taunted.

* * *

**Wild Hunt has come to town.**


	29. Dealing with Wild Hunt

Flare had stood before a mysterious and dangerous group called Wild Hunt. One of the people of that group he had recognized was his half-brother, named Syura. Who claims to be the Prime Minister's son. Flare's golden eyes of had burned with rage, his fists tightly gripped. Flare's was angry, as he wanted to attack Syura for what he did to him, and many innocent people he had gotten killed, thanks to releasing Doctor Stylish's Danger Beasts.

"So, you actually survived that fall, huh?" Syura smiled towards the furious Flare.

"What are you doing here?" Flare calmly responded as his soul was burning with hate for Syura. His heart was telling him to attack Syura, but his brain was telling him not to.

"Like I need to tell a commoner, like you anything." Syura coldly responded, as his eyes narrowed away. "But, since you survived our last encounter, maybe I'll tell you off with a little something." Syura slowly reached towards his back pocket.

Flare grunted, as he thought Syura might do something tricky again. He thought that Syura might pull out a gun or a knife. But his guard was slightly dropped to one percent, as he silently gasped and saw Syura's ID Card. _'An emblem?' _

"We are the special police force, Wild Hunt! Ever heard of us?"

Flare looked at Syura's emblem that has a wolf head and read "Wild Hunt" on the card. _'Wild Hunt. So they're the special police force... I've heard some rumor that they were supposed to...' _For a moment, Flare glanced at Syura and the four mysterious people behind him.

Flare saw that one of them was a cross-dressing dark haired pirate, named Enshin, who licked his lips with his sharp tongue and stared back at him with his small snakelike yellow eyes. Enshin was glad to be brought to the capital by Syura, to not only join Wild Hunt, but to come to the capital and violate as many young, pretty women as he pleased.

Flare also saw a tall overweight, dark-skinned clown called Champ. Champ was grateful to be placed on Syura's team. Champ has a history with kids, and not the good kind of history. Whenever he sees an innocent child/children, most of their lives would either be ruined, or taken by the clown. Champ started to slowly grow impatient as Flare had stood between him and the theater.

One girl was taller than the other, as she wore a short dress, looking like a pop star with bunny ear accessories and glasses. Her name was Cosmina, who was staring hearts at Flare in aw, as she noticed he was cute. Cosmina was happy to join Syura's team, so she could flirt and violate cute boys. While the other girl was shorter, and dressed as an adolescent. Her name was Dorothea, as she slightly yawned. She was invited by Syura and brought to the capital, so she could study and learn from Doctor Stylish.

_'I sense something very sinister and dangerous about each of them... And they're supposed to aid us against Night Raid? I can't trust them at all...'_ Flare grunted.

"We've heard reports that the troupe's plays secretly criticizes their Empire, so we've come to investigate ourselves. Move aside." Syura demanded Flare to move from the doors.

"You're too late." Flare stood his ground and raised his arms, blocking the doorway.

"What?" Syura stopped and lifted a brow.

"I've already investigated. The people in this theater are innocent. They're just fed up on how the Empire treats its people. That's all there is to it!" Flare answered.

"I guess we'll never know, until I see it for myself, now won't we? Now move." Syura said a he took a step forward.

"No."

"I said, move!" Syura shouted.

"I told you! It's done! You don't need to investigate anymore!" Flare yelled.

"Move aside, dammit!"

"I won't let you hurt these innocent people!"

"Are you REALLY resisting me? Because if you are... you are resisting the Prime Minister!"

"His son, huh?" Deep down, Flare knew that Syura was Honest's son. He remembered why he came to the capital. To stop the Prime Minister's tyranny. For months, Flare heard people secretly complain about the Prime Minister. "If that's the case..." Flare gripped his fist. "Then you're just as bad as the Minister, if you're committing these atrocities!"

"W-what do you just say?" Syura gritted his teeth and twitched.

_'Wow. He's the first to ever stand up to Syura.' _Dorothea noted, as she watched the two Imperial Arm users argue.

_'He's so handsome! Even when he's standing up to the Minister's son!' _Cosmina started drooling a bit, and blushed. _'I definitely want this cut guy to play with Cosmina, now!' _

"Who the fuck do you think you are?" Syura growled, as an angry vein had appeared on his forehead.

"Who the fuck am I is none of your business. I'm not gonna let you tear down and destroy the peace I'm trying to build within this nation! I've worked too hard just to let someone like you come by and ruin it all!"

"Syura, I'm getting pissed off, now. I wanna meet the pretty ladies, but this guy is in our way Let's just kill him!" Enshin hissed as he butt in their conversation.

"Yeah. Let's just kill this bastard already. I'm already itching to meet the children." Champ scratched his shoulder.

"Let's just kill this weakling and go already." Dorothea scoffed and rolled her eyes.

After hearing the threats, Flare had raised his guard to a hundred percent. He had yet to use his Pyrokinesis as he wanted to know what these strange people could do._ 'It looks like they're gonna try and kill me, now. But, what's gonna happen? Are they gonna attack all at once... or are they gonna attack separately?'_ Flare stared at each of them, as Wild Hunt had yet to draw out their Imperial Arms._ 'Do they have Imperial Arms? If they do have them, then how are they gonna-' _

Cosmina suddenly walked towards Flare slowly, with hands behind her back. Her eyes had lust and sparkle within them, a red peach fuzz appeared on her face, and her chest was leaned forward to where Flare could spot her cleavage.

Flare silently gasped when Cosmina wrapped her arms around one of his arms. He could heel her breasts between his elbow, which made him lose a little focus. "What are you doing?"

"You're cute. Please play with Cosmina! Pretty please?" Cosmina flirted.

Flare tried to release his arm from Cosmina's grasp. "Sorry, now's not the time for playing ga-" As Flare tried to release himself, Dorothea swiftly moved towards Flare and wrapped her arms around his chest. "Hey, what are you doing? Get off of me-" Flare's eyes widened in shock lightly screamed, as he felt a pair of sharp fangs into his shoulder. "AAARGH!" Flare had let out a wild scream.

Dorothea chuckled, as she was sucking his blood. The next moment, she had gasped in surprise as she had tasted his blood. She had sucked blood from countless victims, but Flare's was somehow different. She could feel the energy flow into her own body. It was as if she was tasting something divine. _'I can't believe it... this blood.' _

Flare had collapsed to the ground.

"No fair, Dorothea. I wanted to bite him first!" Cosmina complained.

"You can bite him as much as you want after we investigate." Syura told Cosmina, then looked towards Dorothea. "Now. Finish him off already so we can get a move on, Dorothea. Dorothea?"

Suddenly Dorothea had released her fangs from Flare's neck, to the group's surprise. She clutched her stomach with both hands and her feet could barely stay still. Her skin had tightened, her nipples had erected and her blue eyes had lust within them. A bit of saliva started to hang from her mouth. Her head was low, as she could feel her body go through some type of change.

Flare fell on one knee and panted heavily. His body looked a bit thinner, but he could feel himself drained. His eyes were in shock, as he had just experienced Absordex first hand. _'What the hell was that just now...! One moment, I was grabbed. The next moment... I could feel a couple of teeth in my skin and my energy being drained...' _He stared at Dorothea and wondered. _'She must be an Imperial Arm user. There's no way an ordinary person could just bite someone else and drain them down completely.' _

"What the heck's gotten into you?" Syura stared at Dorothea.

"I'm sorry... it's just..." Dorothea glanced up to Syura with lust in her eyes and a huge blush on her face. "This guy has intensely rich and spicy blood!" Dorothea drooled a bit.

"What? You mean his blood?"

"Yes! It's so rich, that I could literally feel my body getting younger and stronger! His blood so divine, it's like tasting special wine made by the Gods." Dorothea bragged.

"Than let me bite him, next. I wanna taste that divinity, too!" Cosmina threw her hand in the air, volunteering on tasting Flare's blood next.

"Why don't you shut up! Talking about this rich and divinity is making me want to the beautiful women inside this theater even more." Enshin licked his lips as he started to develop a craving for the girls he had not met, yet. His eyes nearly rolled and his fingers moved out of control as he imagined grabbing them.

"I'm getting hungry, too. I just can't wait to meet all the young and innocent children inside of this theater." Champ grinned as he fantasized about meeting and harming kids.

"All of you, just shut the hell up!" Syura yelled at his group, than turned towards Dorothea. "Just kill that guy so we could get a move on! It's getting late."

Dorothea shook her head no. "No. Not just yet. You see, now that I had sucked his blood, I wanna get the chance to study him. How about I take him to the lab and run some tests on him, while you go and investigate?" Dorothea insisted that the group investigate the Umatora Theater while she take Flare elsewhere.

As Flare had heard Wild Hunt's conversation, he was not pleased. He slowly moved his head to stare at them, as they talked. He knew they could dispose of him at any moment with their Imperial Arms and needed to act fast. _'Dammit. If I don't hurry, these guys are gonna kill me. And they're gonna kill everyone in the theater.' _Flare thought about the innocent lives inside of the Umatora Theater, first. There were a few things that Flare knew he could do to protect the troupe and stop Wild Hunt. _'There has to be something I can do to stop them... but what?'_

Flare had spotted an adamant object that Syura carried to his side. It was his Imperial Arm called, Shambhala. _'Wait that's...' _He remembered Esdeath telling him a story about when she was transported on the same night he had met Syura. He couldn't sense her presence then. Flare learned that she was once transported by Syura and a mysterious Imperial Arms. _'So, that's the space-time Imperial Arm...' _

As Wild Hunt continued chatting, Champ looked towards the direction where Flare and the doors were. "Hey, that guy's disappeared..." Champ interrupted the group's conversation pointed towards Flare, who had disappeared.

"What?" Syura turned around to see that Flare had suddenly disappeared from where he stood. "Where the heck did he go?" Syura looked left and right, trying to see where Flare had went off.

"He couldn't have gotten far!" Enshin drew out his dual blade Imperial Arms, Shamshir from his sheath and was prepared to kill.

As Wild Hunt continued to look left and right for at least six seconds, Cosmina had noticed something small was moving towards Syura from behind. _'What is that? A fire?'_ It was a small patch of an orange flame called a wisp had quietly floated itself behind Syura's feet.

**Trump Card; Flare-o'-Wisp. **A technique that allows the user to shrink via fire. The user transforms themselves into tiny wisps. A nearly undetectable patch of flame, capable of hiding, spying and espionage, but could still be seen with human eyes. If the wisp were to attacked by liquids or fluids such as water or rain, the transformation will be dispelled and the user will revert back to their normal state fatigued.

Cosmina narrowed her eyes closely to see the wisp getting bigger and bigger until Flare had emerged and got behind Syura. She gasped and called for Syura. "Syura, behind you!" Cosmina pointed towards Syura's direction. This caught the attention of the rest of Wild Hunt as Flare had emerged.

"Uh?" Syura had no clue what Cosmina was talking about, before he sensed a presence. Before he could turn around, he was already met with a fist to his face, between the eyes and his facial scar. Syura was sent flying a few feet backwards, while his team watched in surprise. Syura grunted as he had landed.

"That's for what happened last time!" Flare shouted with confidence. He referred back to when Syura had knocked him off a rock and left him to die in Mount Fake. Flare's body had silently healed due to his Imperial Arm, Stripeless. Flare looked healthy again before Dorothea had bit him.

"Syura!" Champ cried.

Dorothea watched as Flare had punched Syura with force, and knew that something about him was odd. _'That's weird. This guy collapsed, almost like a corpse when I drained his energy a moment ago. And here he is standing good as knew after knocking Syura on his ass. So, what's going on?' _Dorothea tried to wonder how

_'Who the hell is this guy? First he disappeared from out the blue... and than he punches Syura in the face.' _Champ wondered.

_'I don't like this guy, but I also don't like where this is going...' _Enshin silently hisses.

_'First he stands up against the Prime Minister's son, and now he punches him in the face with no hesitation...' _Cosmina cracked a smile and blushes at Flare, as her eyes had sparkled with love. _'This guy is so cool! And I feel like's turning me on!' _Cosmina could feel a little wetness in her panties and her nipples erecting.

"Heh," Syura chuckled as he slowly got up from the ground. "That was a good-ass punch you threw at me just now. I'll admit that." He stood up and wiped some blood from his face. He glared at Flare with the intentions of killing him this time. "But... I'm definitely going to have to execute you here and..." Syura reached for his back pocket to grab Shambhala, but discovered his Imperial Arm wasn't there. "What?" He reached for his pocket again, but the result was the same. "Where'd it go?"

"What's going on, Syura?" Dorothea asked.

"My Shambhala! It's gone!" Syura replied.

"E-hem!" Flare coughed a bit to catch Syura's attention. "You mean this thing?"

Wild Hunt turned their attention to see Flare holding Shambhala in his hand.

"Tch!" Syura grunted, as he now realized that Flare holding his Imperial Arm.

"When did he get it?" Cosmina asked.

Dorothea frowned. _'He must've swiped it before punching Syura...' she assumed. _

"So, this is an Imperial Arms you used to transport those Danger Beasts, right?" Flare asked Syura, referring back to the events where the humanoid Danger Beasts had attacked and killed dozens of people.

"Give it back!" Syura shouted, angrily at Flare.

"Not a chance." Flare replied by glaring back at him.

Syura than turned his attention towards his team. "Get my Shambhala back and then kill him!"

"Gladly!" Enshin hissed as he readied his Shamshir.

"I'm just itching to kill this guy.' Champ had summoned his Imperial Arms called Beag Leauer. Six elemental orbs.

_'Aw! I want to be the one to kill the hot guy, right after I play with him.'_ Cosmina silently pouted as she pulled out her catlike microphone called Heavy Pressure.

Flare had quickly caught on, as Wild Hunt was prepared to kill him. He could fend them off four Imperial Arm users and maybe even Syura at once for a short time, but not if there were innocent people at risk. Flare has worked too hard to try and maintain peace within the capital. If they were to fight during times like this, than the crime rate and chaos would possibly increase again.

Enshin and Dorothea charged at Flare, while Cosmina was prepared to sing and Champ was about to pitch one of his orbs.

Flare took a breather and finally decided what to do. **"Trump Card; Pyro Transport!" **Flare had chanted as well.

"Pyro-what?"

Within mere seconds, a white flash of light had engulfed the six of them, than vanished. Flare had transported himself and the five dangerous Imperial Arm users to an island that Syura is familiar with. The island that Syura had once transported Tatsumi and Esdeath, months prior. The island was hundreds kilometers away from the capital, from the south.

Syura quickly recognized this island, as he once claimed to travel most of the world, except for the eastern nations. As for the rest of Wild Hunt had no clue whatsoever, as they looked around. The sun was ready to set within a few hours.

"What is this place?"

"Where are we? What's going on?" Cosmina asked as she saw some pine trees and the water.

"Shit! Not another island." Enshin cursed as he recognized an island when he sees it. Due to being a pirate at sea .

"No. Not this place!" Syura scowled as he remembered visiting this island. He growled at Flare. "You bastard! Did you just use Shambhala against me?"

"No. But something tells me you don't deserve it." Flare replied.

"Tch!" Syura growled as his yellow eyes burned with hate.

"This is island is where you'll be spending the rest of your days. I promise you that." Flare said as he stood a few yards away from the group.

Syura was shocked to hear what Flare had just said. Being banished on an island with barely any life on it. This made him frustrated. "No! You can't leave me here! Give me back my Shambhala, now!" Syura demanded as he tried to run towards Flare.

"I'm not doing that. All you'll ever do is use your Imperial Arms to hurt and kill people. I can't allow that." Flare said.

"Bastard! I am not staying in the likes of this place again!" Enshin rushed towards Flare behind Syura.

"Sorry, but not sorry." Flare turned away.

"No!" The Wild Hunt group yelled as they rushed towards him.

"Farewell." Flare said, before finally using Pyro Transport to flee the island and Wild Hunt ultimately.

Syura's knees hit the sand, as he stretched one of his hands out. His eyes was filled with failure, his teeth trembled, his body almost shook like a raddle. Syura had dreamed on one day surpassing Honest and taking over the capital. Now those dreams had came to ruin, thanks to Flare, whom had supposedly banished him and stole Shambhala from him. He let out an insane laughter.

Wild Hunt members such as Enshin and Cosmina noticed that Syura was either laughing out of insanity or he was laughing to keep from crying.

"I think he's broken." Cosmina whispered to Enshin.

"No shit." Enshin grunted. _'I can't believe that bastard trapped me here on this island! When I see him again...'_

_'Well, there goes me wanting to experiment on that guy...' _Dorothea couldn't care less being trapped on an island with his team.

Inside Champ's mind, he couldn't help but think of something weird. He wondered a bit, before he gasped and an imaginary lightbulb appeared over his head. "Guys! You may not believe me, but I think I know who that guy was." This caught the attention of his comrades, even Syura, who stopped laughing a bit.

* * *

Meanwhile, Flare had transported himself back to the Umatora grounds. He instantly opened the doors, which led to the auditorium and saw the troupe performing on stage. They all stopped for a moment to see Flare running towards them.

"Oh, Flare. What brings you back so soon?" James the Troupe leader asked.

"Is everyone alright?" Flare asked James, as he looked at the performers, who seemed to be fine.

"Why, yes. We're all doing fine. Is there something wrong?"

"Look, James. There's something I gotta tell you."

"What is it?"

"There were some really bad people called Wild Hunt. They were coming here to investigate this theater. And trust me when I say this... they were REALLY bad people!"

Some of the troupe had gasped after hearing the news, including James.

"What? How bad were they?" James asked in concern.

"Bad as in... if you were to run into these people, your life would be forever ruined or taken. THAT kind of bad." Flare said.

James eyes widened in horror. In his mind, James thought about what if Wild Hunt had came to the Umatora Theater moments before Flare did? He might've got everyone in the troupe killed or scarred. He ran towards Flare and grabbed his shoulders. "Are they coming here right now!? Do we need to pack up and leave? Is that what you're saying!?" He shook Flare a bit out of fear.

Flare shook his head no. "You don't have to worry, much. I drove 'em away. It's alright, now."

Many of the troupe had sighed in relief, including James, who lowered his head. "Thank God, we're safe."

"But, I think you do need to leave. Just to be safe." Flare suggested.

"Huh?" james raised his head towards Flare.

"But why? You said that you just drove them away. So what is there to be worried about?" A man in a knights armor had asked.

"I know I told you that I drove them away-which is true, though. But I don't know when they'll be back. It might take them a few days or maybe weeks to return to the capital."

"Wait, what!?"

Flare turned and looked at James. "You see, Wild Hunt. The group that I encountered earlier were Imperial Arm users. And who knows what would they have done if I didn't show up." He then pulled out an adamant object from his pocket, which was the Imperial Arms, Shambhala. "I snagged this from them."

"What's this?" James asked as he took Shambhala from Flare's hand.

"It's called an Imperial Arms..."

Some of the troupe silently gasped and listened closely.

"I don't know what it's called, but I do know you can use it to transport to almost anywhere you want." Flare explained what he knew.

"And you're giving it... to me?" James asked.

"I'm giving it to you, because you're the leader. I know you're going to protect these everyone here well." Flare said.

Hearing that almost made James tear up. Instead, he nodded and accepted Shambhala as his own Imperial Arm. "Thank you very much, Flare. I'll take good care of it."

Flare smiled back.

"AAAAAIIIIEE!" A girl had screamed.

Flare and the rest of the group had heard a scream coming from the back of the theater. Flare knew if there was a scream, there was trouble. He instantly ran towards the back of the theater, which led to a door that brought him outside. As he opened the door, he saw white snow raining from the clouded sky. As he looked forward, he glanced and saw a girl from the troupe trembling in fear and being threatened by an unknown swordsman.

The young woman who was being threatened had worn a pink dress that covered her knees, long white stockings, white shoes. He had neck-length brown hair, hazel eyes and fair skin. She barely lied on her side, as Izou had approached her. "Please don't kill me..."

The swordsman that is threatening the young woman is an Asian traditional swordsman. His name is Izou. "Sorry. But I was ordered to execute anyone who attempted to leave this investigation." Izou smiled as he raised his katana in the air. "And besides... Kousetsu is thirsty."

The young woman lightly cried and shut her eyes in fear, as she feared that her life was bout to end by an unknown swordsman.

"Heh," Izou's swung his katana downwards, hoping to end the woman's life, but was soon clashed with another sword, which threw Izou off guard. "What?" He looked to see Flare had stopped him from killing the young woman.

The young woman gasped, when she opened her eyes and saw Flare saving her life by clashing swords with Izou.

Flare grunted out of anger, as he had just heard Izou right, while blocking him. He heard him say "Investigation", which means he's the remaining member of Wild Hunt. This frustrated Flare, as he didn't think that there were others. Now he's dealing with one more of them. "You just used the word, "Investigation" which means, you're apart of Wild Hunt, right?"


	30. Swordsmen and Pie

Gray clouds had hailed over the daily sky of the capital and snow had slowly fell. Most people citizens roamed town and were currently living peaceful lives within the during that day. However, a sword fight had occurred outside the Umatora Theater. Flare, a Jaeger was dueling with a master swordsman like Izou.

Flare than sensed the woman's presence a few inches from behind and slightly turned his head ten degrees to her. "What are you doing? You got to leave!"

The brunette from the troupe heard Flare's warning, but her body hesitated to move. She looked at Flare with a little shock and concern. "But..." She took a step back, and then looked at Izou, who smiled at her. The woman became frightened when she saw Izou's deadly eyes. His black schlera and bloody red eyes had kept her locked in place, as she could see the word, "Murder" written on his face. The hairs on the brunette's skin had stood up in fear. Her teeth clenching and her hazel eyes watering.

"I'm telling you to leave, because you'll die if you stay here. Now get going." Flare told the woman from the troupe.

The woman slowly nodded as she understood. "Okay." She silently wished him luck and moved her body back inside the Umatora Theater.

"Who are you? And why are you interfering in our investigation?" Izou asked.

"The name's Flare. And this "so called" investigation of yours is over. I've already dealt with your friends, so..."

"Wait. You're saying that you... dealt with Syura and the others? Dealt with, as as in killed them?" Izou asked, thinking that Flare had killed them.

"What? No, I mean I-"

"You killed five Imperial Arm users all by yourself. Interesting..." Izou moved his blade at an angle to make it look like as if the blade covered Flare's neck from his point of view. "If you did kill Syura and the others, that must mean you're really strong!" He started hearing random words in his head. "Yes... I know, Kousetsu."

"Huh? Kousetsu? What are you talking about?" Flare asked in confusion.

"Kousetsu tells me that desires to drink your blood. I shall acknowledge you for your strength! Prepare yourself!"

Flare gripped the two-handed sword in his possession with both hands and stared directly at Izou, who looked at him with his bloody red eyes, surrounded by black schlera. He had no fear, as he stared back with his fiery golden eyes. Flare made the first move by charging towards Izou. Their swords clashed a number of times, as they both locked in close range. _'This guy's a really strong swordsman. He puts a lot of strength within his swings and does not hold back. He could easily slice through people, like a knife cutting butter. If I let it slip, then I might lose this fight.' _Flare thought, as he kept a level head.

A few years before Flare had departed from his home village, he trained in the art of swordsmanship, to the point where he could easily defeat Danger Beasts with one or two strikes. His skill in swordsmanship had gotten much better when he trained under General Esdeath. Now Flare is considered in the top ten most skilled fighters and swordsmen in the Empire. _'I gotta thank Esdeath after this. If she hadn't trained me... I probably wouldn't last long against guys like him, or Akame.' _Flare grunted after blocking one hard sword swing from Izou. He silently gasped as Izou had knocked FLare's sword upwards, leaving Flare's abdomen and chest vulnerable.

_'There it is...' _Izou finally found an opening on Flare and was ready to cut him down.

_'Oh no!' _Flare thought, as he tried to attack back by swinging his blade downwards, but was not fast enough to block or attack his katana.

Izou smiled as his blade was ready to slash Flare in half. _'Victory is mi-ugh!'_ he gasped, as he felt something pierce him.

Flare gasped in shock, as he watched in close up. _'That isn't...' _He jumped back to make space.

Izou stammered, as he looked downwards at his body and discovered that a katana blade sticking out of his chest. He discovered that he had been stabbed in the heart from behind by a third party. "W...what?" His wound quickly started bleeding, staining his Asian traditional clothing and blood quickly streamed down, dripping off of his chin, than onto the snowy ground.

Flare stammered as he watched this go down.

"You were watching the whole time... weren't you?" Izou asked the third person as he slowly fell on his knees and hit the ground face first, collapsing. "Ugh,"

"I've been looking for someone like you for a while." said a familiar voice, as the person stared down at Izou's bleeding body.

After watching Izou collapse to the ground, he saw that the culprit who stabbed him was no other than Kurome in a pink jacket. She had stabbed Izou with her Imperial Arm, Yatsufusa.

"Kurome!" Flare chanted.

Kurome's eyes moved upwards, looking at Flare. "Oh, you're here. I almost forgot about you. You look weird." She said bluntly, as she looked at Flare's skin.

"Never mind me. What are you even doing here?" Flare asked.

"Not that it's any of your business or anything. But I heard a woman scream from a kilometer away, so I came here to check if Night Raid were around."

"Wow. I didn't know you have good hearing." Flare said bluntly.

Kurome scoffed. "Whatever."

"Oh yeah. That woman you heard scream. I told her to take hide in the Umatora Theater with everyone else." Flare pointed towards the Umatora Theater.

"That reminds me. Aren't we supposed to investigate that theater, anyway?" Kurome questioned.

"I already took care of that." Flare quickly replied.

Kurome shrugged. "Fine. Less paperwork for me."

"I'm gonna go check on everybody in the theater and see how they're doing."

"I'll make sure to secure this guy while you're in there." Kurome replied.

"Thanks a lot. I'll see you later." Flare waved her off before attending the troupe.

Kurome stayed silent, as she watched Flare head towards the doors. "Hm?" She heard something moving close to her feet and saw that Izou was face first on the ground, conscious. She saw Izou's hand trying to reach for her leg. Kurome kicked it away in disgust. "Do not touch me with those filthy hands of yours."

Izou held his katana in one hand and lifted his face to look at a annoyed Kurome, glaring down at him. "Y... You're Kurome... right?"

Kurome did not answer.

"I knew it..." Izou lifted his katana, Kousetsu high enough to where Kurome could reach it. "Take it... with your abilities... Kousetsu could drink as much blood at its heart's content... what do you say?" Izou tried to offer Kurome his katana, as his dying wish. Kurome's eyes were darkened by shadow. She slowly drew Yatsufusa from her sheath and the reflection of Izou had bounced onto Yatsufusa's blade. "Eh?" Izou looked a little confused, as Kurome pulled out her Imperial Arm. Without mercy or approval, Kurome bent down and stabbed Izou's heart from the back once again. This time, doing something sinister. "Guhh!" Izou gasped and nearly shot up from the fatal stab. Dark purple aura struck his body through the blade, luck it was electricity "How could you... ever betray... the last request... of a... swordsman..." Izou gasped blood from his mouth and his vision started to fade, meaning he was dying. _After being convinced by Syura... I never got to kill a single person... from the Empire...' _Izou collapsed dead.

Kurome stood up and smiled. "Come on, now. Do I really look like a swordsman to you? I don't need some bloodthirsty katana from a delusional man, as yourself." She held Yatsufusa close to her cheek like a winning prize object. "That's what I have Yatsufusa for. But don't worry. You can drink as much blood as you want when we eliminate Night Raid." As Kurome had said that, Izou's body had risen. Now becoming one of Kurome's puppets/dolls. Purple aura had surrounded her body, as he had a gleam look in his eye.

"Is everyone okay?" Flare shouted bust through the doors, causing everyone to look at him and almost flinch.

"Why, yes. We're fine." James answered. "Were you able to defeat the enemy?"

"I had backup come and help me. He won't bother anyone else again." Flare answered.

"Thank God!" One of the men in white tuxedos yelled.

"It's finally over!" A man in knight's armor cheered.

The troupe gasped in relief, as some of their eyes watered. The troupe started cheering and celebrating, because Flare had saved all of their lives.

Before Flare could say a word, he was rushed by a woman in a pink dress. The same brunette that he saved from Izou at least fifteen minutes ago. She hugged him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, her cheek and chest were pressed against his. She closed her eyes in a moment of bliss, as she finally let tears of joy run down her face.

"Thank you." the Brunette murmured.

Flare could feel how happy she was and smiled. "Happy to help."

James walked up to Flare. "Seriously. There's no way we could repay you for the good deeds you've done for us. You saved us all twice in one day."

"Well, that's what we Jaegers do. We save people on a daily basis." Flare responded.

"Heh," James chuckled. "Yes. And for your service, we have something for you in the other room that you might like." He pointed towards a door which lead to a room, closest to the entrance door from a few feet.

"Oh no. I don't think I'll need any gifts..."

"Hoho. Oh, nonsense. Everybody wants something in life. Do you like pie?" James asked.

"Sure, I'll take pie." Flare said.

"I knew it! There is something you might like." He chuckled, than looked at the troupe. "Can someone please escort Flare to receive the pie?"

"I'll take him." The brunette that hugged Flare a moment ago had volunteered.

Flare looked at her. "Are you sure?"

"Mm-hmm." The brunette smiled at him and slightly blushed.

About a six seconds later, Flare was being escorted to an average sized room, by the brunette. They were seen walking down a hallway together. The brunette walked in front of Flare, leading the way to a room where the pie was.

"I never caught your name." Flare said.

"Oh? I guess it's slipped my mind. My name It's Lucy." The brunette revealed.

"Hey, Lucy. How long have you been with the troupe?" he asked.

"I would say two years almost two years." Lucy answered.

"Two years, huh."

"Yes. Everyone's nice around here, once you get to know them." Lucy slightly turned her head, where she could see him through the corner of her hazel eye. "Say, Flare?"

"What is it?"

"Have you thought about joining the troupe?" Lucy asked.

"No. Not at all." Flare said plainly.

"Why not? It's so much fun, here."

"I know it can or might be fun, but I have a capital to protect." Flare said honestly.

"I see." Lucy turned her head forward.

"Listen, Lucy. Earlier, I wasn't trying to be rude to you..."

"It's alright. Thanks to you, no one gut hurt." Lucy said with a smile on her face. Inside of Lucy's body, her heart started racing and her skin was getting warmer. She couldn't tell if it was either the humidity in the building or just being around the person she liked. She tried to hide the blush on her face from Flare and keep a normal composure. About four seconds later, Lucy had stopped at a door to her right. "Here we are." Lucy grabbed the knob and opened it wide.

As he walked in the room, he saw that there was nothing but a normal bed in an empty room. He looked around at the pale white walls and noticed that there were no pie.

"Is this the right room?" Flare asked as he looked around.

"Yes. It is." Lucy closed the door behind her and locked the knob.

"Are you sure?" Flare asked as his attention was away from Lucy. "There's nothing here, but a bed, here."

"Tr... try checking from under the bed." Lucy insisted that he look

"Okay." Flare took Lucy's advice and tried checking from under the bed. He used his eyes to look and saw something under the bed. "I see something. I'll get it out from under." Flare stretched his arm from under the bed, attempting to grab it.

While Flare is attempting to reach for an object, Lucy's body was suddenly getting warmer. She silently moaned as her body was slowly being taken over by hormones. Her peach fuzz had returned, and her eyes had a little bit of lust. She started stripping from her attire, trying to remain as quiet as a mouse, so Flare couldn't hear. She took off her shoes and unbuttoned her dress. She had stripped into nothing but her white bra, panties and stockings.

Flare lifted the slightly lifted the bed up with one arm to get a better reach and view. "I found it." He instantly grabbed the object and let go of the bed. As he got up and looked, he saw that there was a circular crusted pie. Wrapped in plastic. "Wattya know. There was a pie in here." He smelled the pie a little and touched it. "Hey, Lucy. The pie's a little cold. Do you mind if I heat this-uh." As Flare had turned around, he saw a half-naked Lucy approaching him with a blush on her face, her hazel eyes had little lust.

"Flare..." Lucy moaned, as she slowly approached Flare with a gentle touch.

"Lucy?" Flare quickly looked at the empty sheetless bed. Than he turned back to Lucy, realizing what's going to happen next. _'Oh no...'_

Later that night in the Imperial Palace dining room. The moon was crescent, there were no stars. Just another peaceful night, but it snowed less. Flare, Run, Wave and Kurome were sitting at a long marble table. Kurome were eating her drug cookies, while Wave and Run had listened to Flare's story, as he was eating a plate of soup.

"Wait-you're saying that you saved an entire troupe of people from a certain massacre and fought a nasty group all by yourself!?" Wave asked in a little shock.

"Yeah. I transported... more like sent most of them to a island far, far away from the capital. They can't hurt anyone, now. But, I don't know if they might return, though. It might take days or weeks. I could sense each of them were deadly. Especially with their Imperial Arms."

"Impressive..." Run slowly shook his head, while putting a finger on his chin. "I heard the group that you encountered were called Wild Hunt. A secret police force that is supposed to dispose of Night Raid."

"That's who they were? If that's the case, then they shouldn't be a police force at all. Just another group of bad guys."

"Flare, you said you sent most of Wild Hunt away, right? So, what happened to the other one?" Run asked.

"The swordsman? I don't know. Kurome said that she was going to secure him after she stabbed him." Flare said.

"You stabbed one of them? Where is he now?" Wave asked Kurome. The three boys turned to Kurome.

"Yeah, I did stab him. And who cares where he is?" Kurome got up from the table and grabbed her bag of cookies.

"Oh, there's something else I wanna ask you, Flare." Wave said.

"What's up?"

"Why do you have lipstick on your face?" Wave asked as he pointed at the light pink kissy lip marks on Flare's face. There were two lipstick prints.

Run drunk a glass of water.

"Um, well…"

Kurome automatically stopped and answered Wave's question with a blank face. "Flare had a bit of "Apple Pie" after saving all of their asses."

"W-What!?" Wave was psyched.

Run spat out water, after hearing what Kurome said in shock.

"Kurome!" Flare chanted.

"Stop yelling out my name out loud. It's making my ears hurt." Kurome said, as she was leaving the dining room. She covered one of her ears.

Flare turned to both Wave and Run. "Look, guys. It wasn't even like that at all. I saved a girl, and she just locked me in a room, with her."

"Oh my…" Run blushed a bit.

"She tried to seduce me, but I end up talking her out of it, though." Flare stated.

"I believe you, Flare. But what Kurome just said… I can't believe it." Wave turned to the door, where Kurome just walked out of.


	31. Unexpected

A week passed since Flare had separated Wild Hunt from the capital. A lot of things had been going smoothly, then. People have been living happier than usual.

Within the Imperial Palace, Emperor Makoto sat in his high royal chair, in the middle of the throne room. His eyes looked around and saw no one standing before him, no one kneeling before him. The only ones who were currently in the throne room were him, and the Minister Honest. He sighed, feeling bored.

"What seems to be the problem, your Majesty?" Honest asked, seeing the child emperor look depressed.

"There is no problem, Minister... there's just this person I've been thinking about."

"Is it a woman?" Honest asked.

Emperor Makoto blushed a bit. Feeling a little embarrassed. "N-no! It's not like that!" He cooled down a bit. "It's just..."

"Yes?"

"This person named Flare. The one that can generate fire..."

"What is there to talk about him?"

"I've heard plenty of good reports about him. I heard he's fought and captured a few Night Raid members, catching lots of criminals in the capital. I heard that he's doing what he can to keep the capital safe and is well liked by the people."

"My, my." Honest raised a gray brow. "Where or whom did you receive this information from?"

"I heard a few of the palace maids gossiping about him." Emperor Makoto answered.

"Oh, really?" Honest stroked his beard. "Then, I'll just have to speak with them about him." He placed a fake smile on his face.

"If I recall, he's the latest member of General Esdeath's police. The Jaegers. And yet, I never met him. Huh."

"Really..."

Inside of Honest's head, Honest is starting to see Flare as a troublesome fellow. Claiming an Imperial Arm that Honest had yearned for, for years. Ruining his work, by catching and arresting his secret accomplices. Crime rate had gone down these past few months. He imagined that the people within the lower levels rallying from behind Flare and treating him, like he was almost a symbol. Could possible start a new rebel alliance. Honest silently growled.

"Minister? Are you alright?" Emperor Makoto asked.

"Hm?" Honest spaced out, until the child Emperor asked. "Oh, I'm fine. I was just thinking about this Flare, fellow."

"Really... I think I want to meet him. It would be the best thing to do to appreciate his hard work." Emperor Makoto said.

On the outskirts of the capital. A widow named Kije and her daughter named Logue visited the cemetery on the outskirts of the capital. They dressed in black funeral clothing and prayed in front of Bols' grave. They kept that routine of showing up everyday, since the funeral months ago. They would pray for fifteen minutes each day, then leave.

Flare stood by and watched Kije and Logue pray for Bols.

Ever since Flare joined the Jaegers, he shared a mutual bond with Bols and his family. They would get along well and would sometimes be invited to dinner. After the death of Bols, Flare took it on himself to sometimes watch over and protect his family from danger. So far, no one has threatened them since then.

"Is there anything I can do for you? Do you need money or a place to stay?" Flare asked in concern.

Kije shook her head no. "It's alright. We've received enough money from General Esdeath, as wages from working in the Jaegers."

_'That definitely sounds like Esdeath. She's not the type that's interested in money. She usually gives it to her comrades and soldiers. Speaking of which, I have to think of something special when she comes back...' _Flare thought as he looked at the blue sky.

"We also have some savings from before our marriage. I plan on raising my children, well." Kije told Flare.

"Children?" Flare glanced at Kije a bit.

"Oh," Kije looked down at Logue for two seconds. "I guess, I never told you, before." She walked to Flare, and placed both hands on her pregnant belly. "Bols and I are having another child." Kije found out she was pregnant shortly after Bols died. Even if she had known before, she would've wanted to surprise him.

Flare grunted as he just learnedthe news of Kije's pregnancy. His eyes widened a tad bit as his body also stood still. He was happy for Kije. "Congratulations..." But, suddenly thought about Bols and how he would probably react if he found out. This made him from happy to sad. If only Bols had more time to live. Flare frowned, lowered his head, his eyes were darkened by shadow and his fist gripped. "I'm sorry..."

Kije and Logue remained silent and looked at each other. Wind blew by, causing their hair to lift a bit. "We know. Logue and I miss him very much. We're thankful for everything you and Bols had done to keep this land safe. We wouldn't have came here much, if you weren't around."

"Thanks."

Suddenly, Logue walked towards Flare, who catches his attention. "Thank you for catching my papa's killer." She smiled.

"You're more than welcome." Flare bent down to Logue's level and hugged her. He then let go of Logue and stood up to face Kije.

"Thank you for trying to keep all of us safe." Kije said after hugging him.

Flare cracked a smile and chuckled. "Thanks a lot. By the time you return, this capital is going to be tyranny free."

Kije smiled at him. "Thank you. I look forward to it." She then grabbed Logue's hand and left the cemetery, heading home, as Flare watched them leave. As the mother and daughter were walking, Logue looked at the blue sky and saw a white cloud that nearly looks identical to Bols' mask.

Flare suddenly teleported himself in Chinatown district. He looked around the street and noticed that he was not far from Mei Ling's house. He walked the rest of the way to her house, which was less than a mile away. Flare didn't break a sweat, as he walked. As soon as he got to the door, he knocked carefully. Due to gaining strength by training. About ten seconds, a person had unlocked the door.

"Oh! Hey, Flare!" Mei smiled after opening the door. She was happy to see Flare.

"Hey." Flare smiled and raised a hand and waved.

Mei peek her head out the door to see if anyone was around. "Come in, before anyone sees."

"Okay." Flare entered Mei's home and quickly closed the door behind him.

"Thank you for coming over." She wore a red sleeveless top with a diamond shaped cut in the middle, revealing her navel and cleavage. She had also worn blue shorts, brown boots and a belt. Her light brown hair was placed in a double bun. She even worn the Imperial Arm that Flare once gave her.

Flare shared a hug with Mei, but knew that he had to be gentle. He didn't want to crush a pregnant Mei with his strength. "It's really good to see again."

"You too, Flare. It's been a while since a Jaeger has taken me anywhere." Mei joked.

"Yes, it has." Flare blushed a bit, remembering the last time Flare spent the night over. "Is there anything you need?"

"Well, yes. I kind of went overboard and all of this..." Mei pointed her hand at the table.

Flare gasped as his eyes stared at the wide food spread on the table. There were at least fifteen different dishes of Asian traditional food that Mei Ling had made. He almost drooled as he gazed. He could tell that each of them were delicious in their own right. "You made a spread?" He asked.

"Yes. Just for us."

"What for?" Flare asked with a happy look.

"The truth is... I've been craving food lately, and not even I can eat this much food all by myself." Mei twiddled her fingers and blushed a little. "There is a certain amount of food that I'm only aloud to eat. I can't eat much, because..." Mei made eye contact with Flare and lied her hands on her pregnant stomach. "I'm pregnant."

Flare silently gasped. A blush appeared on his face, his ears tuned in and his eyes grew a bit after hearing those last words of hers. During the months he spent working around the capital, he learned from an old man what pregnancy was and where babies come from. He knew babies came from people, but didn't know that they were conceived through sexual intercourse at the time.

"Really? You mean that we're..."

"Mm-hmm," Mei slowly nodded. "I went to the doctor, once. We're going to have a baby."

Flare paused for about four seconds, then sniffed and wiped some water from his eyes. He wrapped his arms around her upper back, lightly hugging her. Mei hugged him back, as she let tears of joy out. The two were going to be parents in less than a year's time. The last time Flare had seen Mei Ling was the morning he left her house after sleeping with her, months ago.

"I'm going to protect you both." Flare said.

Mei brought her face up to look at his. "I know." The two shared a moment as they kissed once and connected foreheads, as their noses barely touched. The moment was short-lived as Mei had felt a kick within her womb. She gasped.

"What's wrong?" Flare asked, after disconnecting foreheads.

"The baby... just kicked me." Mei looked down at her pregnant belly and smiled. She looked up to Flare. "Do you want to feel it?"

"Yes." Flare nodded and bent down to Mei's stomach and placed his left cheek on her pregnant belly. He closed his eyes and opened his ears, as he listened to the noise the fetus was making. He then felt a kick from the fetus through skin contact.

"Did you feel it kick just now?" Mei asked as she touched his hair.

"Yeah. I did." Flare stood up and smiled. "I'm happy."

"He's really happy to see you." Mei smiled at Flare, before kissing his lips.

Flare glanced at the spread. "Who's going to eat the food?" He chuckled.

She gasped, as she then remembered the spread on the table. "Oh, that's right! I almost forgot."

Mei quickly brought Flare and they both sat at the table. Mei clapped her hands together and chanted. "Thank you for the Meal!" Flare did the same thing she did, and the two feasted. The two ate, like there was no tomorrow. Thirty minutes later, the dishes that Mei had made were all, but eaten. There were little scraps of food on the plate. Flare's appetite was big, as he had not eaten anything earlier that day. He had over ten plates of food. Mei however, had at least two plates, before giving in.

"That was great spread you made, Mei. I could never get tired of your cooking." Flare stood from the table and stretched his body a bit.

Mei stood up from the table and walked towards Flare. "I'm glad you liked it. It was the least I could do for... my baby daddy." Mei chuckled and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I'll take that as a compliment." Flare told Mei. He slightly glanced at the clock on the wall and saw that it was Seven O' clock.

Mei cupped his face and turned it towards hers. She reeled his face closer and pressed her lips against his once again. "Please, stay. For one more night." She murmured before kissing him again.

"I don't know... People outside might need my help."

"I know... but I want you tonight. Please. Stay. For me... and the baby." Mei's auburn eyes looked cute to Flare, as she stared, with tiny orbs of water forming in it. She looked kind of upset.

"Alright. I'll stay."

"Goodie!" Mei chanted, as she clapped her hands together.

Flare had agreed to stay the night with Mei Ling and protect her, in case anyone tries to break in and cause harm. After dinner, Flare helped Mei clean up the dishes, then shared the same bathroom and bathed together. It was more like, "You wash my back, I'll wash yours." Mei would playfully splash some water on him. After an hour of bathing, they were prepared for bed. Flare slept in his boxers again and Mei had worn a green robe, big enough to make her pregnant belly fit. They later shared the same bed that night. Mei lied on her side, with her head close to Flare's. Flare looked up at the ceiling, and couldn't get something off his mind. It was as if, he was sensing a bad omen.

_'This omen... something doesn't feel right' _Flare thought.

Later that night, a group of Imperial Arm users had appeared on the outskirts of the capital, with a black dragon by their side. The group Wild Hunt had discovered a black dragon Danger Beast and managed to tame it to do their bidding. The group returned after being banished by Flare on a deserted island. They wore long dark brown cloaks and stood still, looking at the scenery.

"Hurray! We made it back!" Cosmina sounding energetic.

"There it is. The capital. It looks peaceful at night." Syura said as he removed his hood.

"I can't believe it took us a whole week to get here, again. That Flare guy interests me, now. I can' wait to study him." Dorothea fantasized about sleeping with Flare, then experimenting on him, to study his power.

"I can't wait to play with Flare." Cosmina blushed, as she fantasized violating Flare. She grunted and nearly fell to the ground as she got kicked on her backside from behind by Enshin, who was irritated with her behavior.

"Are you crazy! That bastard is the reason we were stranded on that island filled with Danger Beasts for a whole week! He kept me away from all the pretty broads in the capital! I will never forgive him for that." Enshin hissed as he imagined himself, supposedly sleeping with women, but in reality, he just want to rape them.

"I can't believe that he kept all the sweet and innocent children away from me!" Champ growled, as he imagined so many innocent children's faces.

"They're just children. You're not going to die without seeing another one." Dorothea told Champ.

"What you say?!" Champ snapped at Cosmina.

Syura grunted as he was hearing his group argue a bit. "All of you. Shut up! I'm going to be the one to get revenge on that bastard, Flare. And then, I'm going to take over and become the new Emperor of this Empire."

"What makes you say that?" Dorothea asked.

Syura smirked at his team and raised his hand in the air. He suddenly generated a white sphere made of nothing. "With this new Imperial Arm that I possess, I will finally be able to conquer this land and become its new Emperor. But, not before I get my hands on Flare." Wild Hunt stared at Syura for a moment, then smiled.

**Wild Hunt has returned to the Empire with a plan and a vengeance. While they were away, Syura had discovered a new Imperial Arm, unknown to the current capital. More will be known about it within a few chapters. **

**The child Emperor now wants to meet Flare. When they do meet, how do you think their meeting turn out? **


	32. Sparring with Seryu

Thirty six hours had passed. It was a regular Wednesday morning. Sun had just risen, the sky was blue and there were no clouds.

Flare and Seryu wore training gear and sparred in the same park, where they had previously fought Sheele and Mine of Night Raid. Since it was their day off, they decided to train and get better by pushing each other to the absolute limits.

Flare wore black training shorts with a white line, white socks and black training shoes with white laces. He was topless, showing his abs, due to hard work and training. "Are you ready, Seryu?"

Seryu had wore training green shorts, a green short tank top where it shoes her lower abs. She also wore green training shoes with black laces and white long socks. Her auburn hair had grown a little longer and put in a ponytail. Her eyes burned with justice and determination. "You bet, Flare!" Seryu eagerly replied, as she hopped side-to-side.

There were no people and no animals of any kind around, except for Seryu's recovered Imperial Arm Koro, which Flare somehow retrieved and recovered from the Revolutionary Army. Koro watched from the sidelines and cheered on both Seryu and Flare to do their best, despite not being able to talk.

"Hey, Seryu."

"Yes?"

"Let's make this challenging. If you can land a punch on my face, you can be the winner of this sparring match." Flare pointed at his face.

"Alright!"

"Bark! Bark, bark!" Koro cheerfully howled as he cheered on both Flare and Seryu with a black pennant cheering flag stick in its waving paw.

"I promise, I won't use my Imperial Arm." Flare chuckled.

Seryu giggled. "I know you won't."

Ten seconds later.

"Hyah!" Seryu yelled, as she made the first move by jumping in the air, delivering a strong kick towards Flare's head, who ended up blocking it with one of his arms. She quickly jumped back and landed on her feet, like a cat. She charged again and grunt as she threw punch after punch. Kick after kick.

Flare spent time guarding himself from Seryu's attacks. He could tell that Seryu has gotten physically stronger and a bit faster, during the past three months.

Three months ago, after the death of Najenda... Seryu received punishment for insubordination and losing her Imperial Arm, Hekathonkeires. She was nearly kicked off the Jaegers for good, but Flare managed to convince Esdeath to let her stay. At some point within three months, Flare had recovered Koro from the Revolution, while Seryu was attending rehabilitation.

Flashback

Seryu had just walked out of the rehabilitation facility. She wore her Jaeger clothes, she had a bag full of her belongings. She looked forward to see Flare at least a yard away, with Koro by his side. It was like a dream, turned into a reality. Tears of joy streamed down her face. She dropped her bag and immediately ran towards Flare. She cried onto Flare's shoulder as he embraced her.

End Flashback

"I'm happy that you made it out of rehab." Flare said as he dodged one of Seryu's kicks.

"Thanks for waiting for me." Seryu then attempted to deliver a strong punch towards Flare's chest. Flare was able to block it with. After feeling the power of that last punch, Flare could feel Seryu's true strength.

"I can tell that you're really motivated today, Seryu." Flare noted as he sparred with Seryu. He could tell that Seryu had gotten physically stronger and a bit faster.

"Of course I am! Back then, I couldn't save you, and I failed to stop Night Raid from taking Koro. Now that both Koro and you, my boyfriend are back in my life... I must get stronger to protect them, no matter what!"

Seryu Ubiquitous can continue to fight for long periods of time, such as half a day, thanks to the body modifications that Dr. Stylish has done.

A few seconds later, Seryu threw a barrage of strong punches and kicks towards Flare. He was on the defensive, as he guarded and dodged most of Seryu's attacks. As he tried to dodge, he started to lose a little balance and nearly tripped over a rock.

"Hah!" Seryu yelled, as she then landed a successful punch on Flare's face.

Flare landed on his but, after taking the punch from Seryu.

Seryu paused and placed a hand over her mouth, as she then realized something. She landed a punch onto Flare. "Did I just..." She looked at her cybernetic hand, then looked at Flare, who remained silent for a moment. "Flare? Are you okay?"

Flare paused for ten seconds. Then he laughed, which caught Seryu off guard. "Looks like you won this sparring match."

"Huh?" Seryu paused, the laughed as well. "I guess I did win." She walked then towards Flare and offered him a hand.

Instead of Flare taking Seryu's hand to get up, he grabbed her hand and pulled her down to his level.

"Waaah? Flare!" Seryu was surprised as he pulled her down. She landed onto Flare's chest.

"Gotcha!" Flare said as he caught Seryu within his arms.

"You're embarrassing me!" Seryu laughed.

"Come on. This is what I do with my sisters."

They rolled around on the ground a bit and laughed, because they were having a good time. After they stopped laughing, they realized their faces were really close to one another. Flare was over Seryu's body. Their eyes met again, as they were close to one another. Their noses were centimeters apart and they both didn't utter a word. Seryu brought her head up and kissed Flare's lips. He kissed her back.

"You wanna go back, or you keep going a little longer?" Flare smiled.

Seryu nodded her head, yes. "Yes."

They continued to make out for another forty seconds. After that, both of them and Koro sat down on a wide park bench and drunk bottles of water.

"That was really fun." Seryu smiled as she enjoyed herself.

"I kinda needed it, too. Especially with with all the trouble continuing to go around the capital. What about you?" Flare asked.

"Yeah." Seryu panted a bit. She turned her head towards and looked at Flare. "I really enjoy having you as a sparring partner, Flare." Seryu smiled at him, as her body rested a bit.

"Thanks for telling me that." Flare smiled back at Seryu, who giggled.

"Really. With General Esdeath away, you're the best." She pecked Flare's cheek.

Flare looked around in the park and noticed a new clock tower being constructed. He suddenly reminisced when he first fought Night Raid and some of the destruction that happened within the park, including the old clock tower falling over. "It's been months since we've been here. When we fought Night Raid."

"Oh yeah... We did fight Night Raid, here and won." Seryu suddenly reminisced, too about when they fought. She looked to the clock tower. "It really has been a while, huh?"

"Yeah. We captured a member of Night Raid for the first time. We almost risked our lives, but we still managed to pull through in the end."

"Yeah. Justice had prevailed!" Seryu jumped up from the bench.

"Yeah, I guess it has." Flare stood up and stretched his arms and looked at the sky. "Well, I guess we should be on our way."

"Mm-hmm," Seryu nodded.

Flare then got down on a knee and placed his hands on his back.

"What re you doing?" Seryu asked.

"Come on. Get on my back." Flare offered to give Seryu a piggy-back ride to the palace.

Seryu blushed. "Wha-why?"

"Since you're the winner of our sparring match, I'll carry you back to the palace? I mean, you transported us, here."

"But, wouldn't be easier, if you transport us back to the palace?"

"I mean it would, but I'd feel a little better if I just carried you back."

"Are you sure? I'm kind of heavy..."

"It's alright. I'll be fine." Flare chuckled.

"...Okay." Seryu gently hopped onto Flare's back, one leg at a time. She wrapped her arms around his chest and her legs were at Flare's waist. Her chest were pressed against his upper back.

Flare silently grunted as he lifted himself up, with Seryu on his back. He grabbed Seryu's legs, which were at his sides. "Ready?"

"Yeah." She then looked at Koro. "Koro? Stay close."

"Bark!" Koro replied.

Flare started on his walking trip to the palace from the park. As he walked slowly, he could feel Seryu's chin resting her head onto his shoulder. He chuckled to himself as he looked forward. Koro stood close and walked by Flare to the castle.

* * *

**Author's Note: I just wanted to dedicate this chapter to those who are fans of Seryu. She hasn't been forgotten.**


	33. Meeting

"It is nice to see you back in the palace, Syura." Honest said as he roamed through one of the palace towers with his son, Syura. It is now dusk. There were no stars within the night, the moon was full.

"I don't really want to here it, pops." Syura stuck his hands within his pockets and his face looked a little bored. "It's been rough for the past few days, since I had been stranded on that stupid island."

"You were gone for a while without notice. I was starting to think that something, or someone had killed you." Honest said.

"Pfft! As if I'd let that happen! I'm the son of the Prime Minister!" Syura detested as his eyes swiftly looked away from Honest.

"Indeed, you are my son. And I have high expectations for you."

"I know, pops."

"Say, why don't you tell me what happened, and maybe I'll give you some fatherly advice?"

Syura remained silent for a moment as he walked.

"The silent treatment, eh?"

"I was just caught off guard, back then. By that bastard called Flare. That's all."

"Flare, hm?"

"Champ told me a few things about him." Syura yammered on and on about Flare, not wanting to talk about him.

"Really... That young stripling is becoming a greater problem by the day." Honest thought out loud.

"You know him?" Syura asked as he looked at his father.

"Only by reputation. I have yet to meet the young lad. Word from the grape vine is that the citizens are starting to acknowledge and follow him."

"Who the heck is he, anyway?" Syura questioned.

"From the information I've gathered from our Imperial spies, this young lad possess the Imperial Arm that grants him the ability to control fire."

_'The ability to control fire...' _

"Because of this unique ability, he was chosen by General Esdeath to join his police force, the Jaegers after winning a tournament. And apparently, he is also her lover."

"Really..." Syura took a moment to think, then something hit him. The last part left Syura a little spiked. "Wait, so he's fucking one the strongest general in the Empire?!"

"Why, yes. She should be returning home, soon."

Syura gripped his fist out of jealousy._ 'That lucky bastard. I probably would've wanted to fuck the general, myself. But since he beat me to her... eh, there's a lot more toys around the capital for me to play with.' _He quickly got over his jealousy of Flare almost in an instant.

"So, Syura. What are you going to do, now?" Honest asked his son.

"First of all, I'm going to murder Flare and everyone he cares about. And then I'm going to take back what was stolen from me." Syura was talking about his former Imperial Arm, Shambhala."

Honest walked a little faster. "Listen, Syura. I don't care how many people you kill in order to get back Shambhala, nor do I care if you get revenge on Flare. But, you do know your objective is to eliminate Night Raid, correct?"

"I know, pops. I've already set preparations for them. Leave it to me. But, what you going to do about the rebels from the south? If they get to the capital, my group will fight them. But aren't you short on soldiers?"

"As if I am. But if things gets worse than they are, then we'll just have to call up that stubborn bastard and his men." Honest silently chuckled.

"Who are you calling a stubborn bastard?" roared a voice, as it echoed through the halls.

* * *

The next morning, Flare was walking through the long dark hall of the Imperial Palace, thinking of what could happen. He had worn a business casual suit, which consisted of a black business coat, white business shirt, black tie, black pants and a pair of black shoes.

An hour prior, Flare was informed by Run that he was supposed to rendezvous with the within the council hall. being held as a guest of honor to their banquet for his deeds. He is the only Jaeger to have yet to meet the child emperor.

Flare felt confident, as he walked down the halls of the palace._ 'After all these months, I'm going to finally meet the Emperor. I gotta tel the Emperor what's going on. He's been in the dark long enough. But I'm sure the Minister will be in his corner.' _Honest then visualized what the Prime Minister looks like. _'Even if I try to tell the Emperor what's happened... the Minister will probably turn the Emperor against me, thinking that I'm an enemy or a spy.' _Flare then thought about what Father Christopher has told him.

_'Remember, Flare. You must not let your guard down around the Minister or his allies. Not even for a second.' _Father Christopher's words.

_'Right. Just as the old man said. The Minister's the reason for the Empire's corruption. I can't believe anything the Minister says. I can't let him sway me at all. Besides, he's the real enemy. I gotta stay focus.' _Flare grunted as he sensed someone ahead. "Who's that?" Flare finally stopped walking, as he saw a large man in gray armor guarding the large double doors. He had blonde hair, blue eyes and had an intimidating look on his face. He was the Great General Budo.

"Holt."

_'This guy is huge. His aura. It's at Danger Beast levels...! Whoever he is... this guy is no pushover.' _Flare noted as he stared at Budo and could sense his massive aura and power.

Budo stared down at Flare. _'So, this kid must be the one...' _ "So, you must be person whom can manipulate fire. Flare, is it not?" Budo asked.

"Yeah." Flare answered.

Budo stomped his foot on the ground, which made Flare silently grunt. "I will not tolerate any kind of disrespect. When you speak to me, you shall speak only formal."

"Yessir."

"I am the Great General Budo. The highest ranking officer of the Imperial Army."

_'Oh yeah. I've heard Esdeath talked about him before.' _Flare thought, as he continued to look.

"Listen carefully, Flare, as I am only going to say it once. Behind these doors, you are about to meet the high majesty. There are rules, though."

"Rules?"

"Yes," Budo raised an index finger towards Flare. "Number one. Once you enter, you must show the high majesty respect."

_'I can do that.' _Flare thought, as he could agree with Budo.

Budo raised a second finger. "Number two. You are not allowed to causing any kind of violence around the majesty."

_'I don't really like where this is going...' _Flare suddenly gained a gut feeling that what Budo was about to say next.

Budo raised a third finger. "And number three... you are forbidden to reveal anything to the Emperor that goes on within the Empire."

Flare grunted in disagreement. The whole reason for Flare agreeing to meet the Emperor was to tell him what was happening. He didn't like the idea of being kept quiet. Flare was not mad, but confused why Budo would make that rule. "The Emperor needs to know what's going on outside! Why can't I tell him?"

"Because we are currently in a Civil War. The Emperor does not need to get himself involved against the Rebels, nor does he need to know."

"What about the Minister, then?"

"What about the Minister?" Budo quoted.

"The Empire's in chaos because of him." Flare said openly.

"So you know as well, then?"

"Yeah I do-I mean, yessir." Flare had quickly corrected himself, before Budo could glare. "Before I came to the Empire, I've heard lots of things from different people inside and out. They all say that he's a wicked man who manipulates a kid on the throne. They also say he's the reason the Empire is the way it is."

"I'm sure a lot of people told you that."

"Look, I'm not from the Empire. I didn't come here to get money or become famous. I came here from a far away village, because I want to stop the Minister's tyranny. I want to prevent further life loss." Flare gripped his fist. "If we want the Empire to be free from his tyranny, then we must deal with the problem now, before it's too late!" He stared at Budo with a little frustration in his golden eyes.

"Oh?" As Budo stared at Flare, he could see a visuality of a person that he had seen decades ago. He saw a woman with long brown hair, auburn eyes and had a less revealing white dress, making the same face as Flare. _'That face... those eyes...'_ The visual of a woman had soon disappeared after five seconds. Budo then closed his eyes and turned away. "Only after we defeat the rebels. Then we will destroy eliminate the source of its instability."

Flare paused, as he heard Budo say "We".

"Follow me. And do not break the rules that I gave you. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yessir." Flare responded after Budo had pushed the doors open.

Meanwhile, the Minister was sitting at a long white table alongside six other people who were the councilmen. They all discussed the situation with the Revolutionary Army and how they have obtained a few powerful Imperial Arms. Honest was stuffing his face with large meat on bones, chewing down with his sharp teeth while Syura stood next to him, looking board.

Budo could hear the councilmen waver in fear a few yards away and quickly had gotten irritated. As soon as he walked close, he stomped his foot onto the floor, which caused the six councilmen to flinch." Stop wavering, you fools. And you call yourselves rulers of the people?" Budo questioned their rankings and courage.

Some of the councilmen gasped in relief.

"Great General Budo!"

Syura and Honest remained unfazed, as they purposely smile towards Budo.

_'So, the old thunder geezer's here, too, huh?' _Syura thought.

"Do not fear. If the rebels come near the walls, my Imperial guards..." Budo moved aside to let Flare walk up. "This boy, Flare and I will eliminate them."

Flare looked around at the council hall, then forward to see plenty of people sitting at a long table, staring at him. He didn't recognize any of them, except for Syura who stood next to Honest.

_'Dammit, he's here, too.' _Flare thought.

_'What the fuck is he doing here, of all places!' _Syura thought, as his teeth shut.

_'He's already back here in the capital in one piece. Maybe that island wasn't far enough to get rid of him.' _Flare thought.

_'Damn you. __I haven't forgotten for about you stealing my precious toy.' Syura thought._

_'If he stays here, he's going to cause trouble within the Empire.' _Flare thought.

_'He's only going to cause trouble for me, if he continues to live.'_ Syura thought.

_'Next time, there will not be a next time.' _Flare thought.

_'As soon as no one's looking, I'm going to murder this bastard and send him to hell.' _Syura hid a sinister smile.

_'I need to get rid of him for good, before he does anything destructive.' _Both Flare and Syura thought as they immediately fired multiple daggers at one another.

Honest sees Flare for the first time and chuckles. "And whom have you brought here, Great General Budo?" Honest sarcastically chanted "Great General". It's not like you to bring guests." Honest asked as he looked at Flare.

Flare shifted his eyes and turned his attention from Syura to Honest, who was looking at him. _'So, that's him. The goddamn Minister... he's completely what I imagine as someone who's torturing the Empire.' _Flare could easily tell that Honest was overweight while sitting.

"This is the boy that can manipulate fire, called Flare. Until General Esdeath returns, this boy will be fighting beside me against the rebels." Budo told everyone.

The councilmen gasped in relief after hearing Budo saying that he will protect the capital.

"What a relief."

"How assuring of the Great General. If he and this kid will fight for us, then we can win!"

"Yes!"

"I agree!"

"There's no reason to fear, if they're going to protect us!"

Budo then gave the councilmen an intimidated glare, which made them flinch. Flare could see the looks on their faces, as they easily fear the Great General.

_'These guys are really scared of take Budo real serious.' _Flare thought as he looked at Budo.

"A military officer is not meant to interfere with the government. I was born in a lineage of great generals since the beginning of the Empire. And everyone in my family has obeyed this rule. However, I cannot remain silent in a situation like this." Budo glanced at Honest. "After the rebels had perished, I will exterminate the the source of the Empire's corruption."

Flare stared at Honest, as he paused from eating meat.

Honest pretended to be scared. "Very scary. I hope this person is able to prepare himself for the worst." He snickered within his mind. He then locked eyes with Flare, who was staring at him. "So, tell me, Flare. Where are you from?"

Flare remained calm, as he locked eyes with his biological father.


	34. Disappear

Kurome and Wave were lying in the Jaegers lounge. It was nothing but peace and quiet since competing their personal mission. Kurome grabbed a water bottle from the refrigerator and opened the lid up. Wave just sat at the table, thinking about some of complaints and criticism from the citizens. He knows they have been fed up, lately.

"Are you thirsty, Wave?" Kurome asked.

Wave snapped out of thought for a moment. "Me? Oh, uh... I'll get salty water."

"Salty water?" Kurome sighed. "I swear, if you keep eating all this seafood, you're going to someday turn into a fish."

"That can't be true. No one says that." Wave said in disbelief.

"Maybe... maybe not." Kurome replied as she had dug her hands within the refrigerator.

Wave remained silent as he normally stares at Kurome from behind. _'Kurome...' _

"We're out of salty water bottles. I'll just get you some tea." Kurome closed the refrigerator door and walked towards a counter with a sink close by.

"Are there any cake over there?" Wave asked.

"Yeah. But it's vanilla flavored." Kurome informed Wave as she stared at the round cake.

"Oh? My I have some cake as well?"

Both Wave and Kurome gasped as they heard a familiar voice. They looked to see Kurome standing by the corner of the door, smiling at them. Wave got out of his chair and Kurome gently set the plate of tea down on the table.

"General Esdeath!" Both Wave and Kurome chanted.

"I'm here." Esdeath gently tipped her hat. She then walked in the room to only see Wave and Kurome present. Flare, Run and Seryu were not in sight. _'Flare's not here...' _she thought, feeling a little disappointed for not being present where she wants him. "Where are the others? I could've sworn they would be on time."

"Oh." Wave decided to formally inform Esdeath the news. "They didn't know when you would be back, so... Run and Seryu are currently taking missions inside the capital right now. And Flare is-"

"He was summoned by the higher ups to meet the Emperor. But that was an hour ago." Kurome cut Wave off.

Esdeath's eyes widened a slight bit when she heard about Flare being summoned. "I thought I didn't see neither them while returning to the capital..." Esdeath was concerned for her subordinates, but Flare is whom he cared about mostly. _'So. He decided to wait until I left the capital, just to summon my beloved Flare...' _She tapped her index finger on the table in an irritated manner a few times and frowned. _'Honest. Don't think that you can get away with this.' _Esdeath had always thought of wanting to introduce Flare to the Emperor.

"They should be back, soon." Wave said.

"Indeed. I have no fear for the deaths of my subordinates before me. They are all strong, after all." Esdeath had made a compliment, which made Wave and Kurome smile.

* * *

Meanwhile, Flare was currently at the training grounds arena. An hour had passed since he met the Prime Minister and Budo. Now he was standing from the sidelines in tire seating of the training ground. He was told to watch Syura who was in the middle of the training grounds. Flare was wondering why he was brought to the arena. He had stood next to the Minister, Honest, who sat in a fancy chair in the training ground. General Budo stood on Honest left side with his arms crossed and stared down at the center of the training grounds where Syura withstood.

Syura stood confident and smiled, as he waited to show his father, Budo and Flare his new toy that he had discovered not too long ago. Stood before him were a little more than a dozen topless bald male prisoners on death row. In honest truth, most of them were wrongfully convicted of crimes they never had committed. They were given swords, knives and a chance to fight for their lives and freedom.

_'He's going to take on those convicts by themselves?' _Flare continued to stare and tried to observe Syura.

"Heh. I wonder what card does Syura have up his sleeve?" Honest muttered.

Budo remained silent.

"Hey! What are you cowards waiting for? Attack me!" Syura pointed towards the convicts who stood a few yards away. They remained still and some of them shook as they had heard of his reputations. Syura growled and palmed his own face, as they refused to move an inch closer to him. "Listen, I'll tell you what. If you can land one scratch on my face, I promise that all charges against you all will be dropped and you'll go free." He chuckled.

Some of the convicts gasped as they hears Syura correctly. They were a bit confused of what Syura had just said and looked at one another and began to talk.

"Wait, what?"

"I-Is he for real?" one of the convicts asked.

"All we gotta do is land a scratch and we could go home?"

"N-no! This has gotta be a trick!"

"He's right. There's no way the Prime Minister's son is going to keep his word."

"He's lying to us."

"Screw it. I'm going for it!" One of the convicts gripped his weapon with his strength and charged towards the Minister's son.

"No! You'll be killed!" One of the convicts tried to convince the charging convict, but failed.

Syura laughed. "You really think you can kill muah? Then why don't you come and try it?"

As the brave convict charged and screamed towards Syura, he thought about punishing the Minister within his mind. _'__This Empire has been corrupted for decades because of the fat bastard sitting in the chair! I'm gonna teach him a lesson, by killing his son right in front of him!' _He then gripped his sword and charged towards Syura. After him, a few convicts followed the leading convict. Only four of them stayed where they were, paused.

Syura hid a smirk as a few convicts charged. _'Just where I want him...' _He then lifted a single hand to his side and began to generate a white visible sphere within in his right hand.

Flare's silently gasped as his fiery golden eyes had spotted his something white and forming within Syura's right hand. _'What?' _

"Oh?" Honest caught a glimpse of something coming from his right hand.

_'This will send you to hell!' _Syura used the visible white sphere within his hand then pitched it like a ball towards the charging convict.

The convict saw this and didn't know what the sphere was, or what it was going to do. He slowed down a bit. "Wha-" Before the convict could react in time, get close enough to reach Syura with his weapon, he was struck by the sphere. And within seconds, the convict was obliterated. There was nothing left of the convict, but his feet.

**Impurity of the Gods: Minute Dust.** An Elemental-Type Imperial Arm that allows the user to perform three-dimensional visible objects that could easily disintegrate anything and anyone it touches, leaving the victim to nothing but dust. The user is able to use this technique in both offense and defense. In order to attain such power, one must be filled with greed. Wanting to have more than they can achieve.

Both Flare and General Budo's senses were on high alert as they had just witnessed a new Imperial Arm. They both had serious looks on their faces as one of the convicts were obliterated before their eyes.

Flashback

Four hours had passed since Wild Hunt were left to rot on a remote island, Syura and the others were forced to scavenge within the wilds for food. Enshin and Champ were pissed off and had already have intentions to murder Flare on sight. They hated hard work, trying to look for food through trees and bushes. Dorothea was annoyed, as parts of her dress were getting dirty as she scavenged. She found a crawling crab, picked it up and sucked its fluids Absordex. Cosmina had the most positive mood in the bunch.

As Syura was scavenging through the island, he looked inside a dark green bush and discovered a bottle that looked like an urn. _'A bottle?'_ He picked it up and looked at it curiously. He shook it and knew there were liquids in it. He was parched on the island and did not hesitate to drink it what was in the bottle.

Cosmina walked behind to see Syura standing and doing something. "Hey, Syura. Did you find anything?"

By the time Cosmina asked, Syura was done drinking from the bottle. He burped and threw the bottle to the dirt. He then turned around to see Dorothea standing behind him. "What were you saying?"

"D-did you just drink an entire bottle!? And you didn't even think about sharing!" Cosmina whined as she threw her arms up and down.

"Finders keepers." Syura shrugged. "You snooze, you lo-uh?" Syura then grunted as he felt his heart stop for a split second. His body was temporary paralyzed and his eyes had shrunken a bit.

"Syura?" Cosmina curiously tilted her head slightly.

An explosive white aura had coated over Syura's body and fired towards the sky. Syura laughed like crazy as he felt the power surge within his body. He has never felt more powerful than before. "Hahaha! Yes! This is it! The power I've been yearning for!"

Cosmina paused as she watched Syura scream and laugh.

"What's going on!" Champ yelled as he, Dorothea and Enshin had rushed to the scene. The first thing they saw was a beaming white light that hit the sky.

"Syura?" Dorothea questioned.

"What the hell happened to him?" Enshin asked.

"Now I can finally use this power to conquer the Empire and kill that bastard, Flare!" Syura yelled and sinisterly chuckled.

"Yep. He's lost it." Dorothea said with a blunt face.

End Flashback

"Heh." Syura sinisterly chuckled. _'I'm glad I found that bottle on that island...'_

"Bravo, son! Bravo!" Honest rose from his chair and applauded his son. "Your new Imperial Arm is exquisite! Remarkable! Use this new power that you've been blessed by the gods with and terminate the rest of them! Then we will obliterate the Revolutionary Army!" Honest clenched his fist in domination.

Flare and Budo slightly glance at Honest with resentment, as he encouraged Syura to continue massacre the remaining convicts. They both knew this behavior the Minister has could not stand as hundreds of more innocents will die.

The remaining convicts were shocked and scared as they not only did they witness one of their fellow convicts die, but had he gotten obliterated. Syura then glanced sinisterly at the convicts with bloodlust in his golden eyes.

"Which one of you toys wanna play next?" Syura asked as he then summoned two more visible spheres in his hands.

The convicts' entire bodies had drowned in fear of Syura with his new deadly Imperial Arm. They tucked in their tails, dropped their weapons ad tried to run towards the gateway. Some of the men screamed as they didn't want to die in a gruesome way.

Syura laughed crazy and dashed towards the convicts whom he hurled a few more spheres at the convicts, killing them all in less than a minute.

Budo gazed upon Syura after killing the convicts. He had known Syura since he was a baby. Now he sees Syura as a total monster. The Imperial Arm he possess and the way he killed those convicts. He silently stated that Syura was more dangerous without Shambhala.

As Flare watched, he knew things had gotten much worse now that Syura has returned to the capital with a deadly Imperial Arm. His brain was telling him that he was wrong to banish Wild Hunt, as he heart knew that he should've killed him. He doesn't know how he's going to handle Syura, now. He's a loose cannon that will destroy anything he touches.

Syura suddenly stare upwards towards the three men from below. He sees that Honest was pleased, but not Budo and Flare. Syura stares at Flare, who glares down back at him yards away. They start a stare off as their golden eyes clash.

* * *

**Author's Note: Syura's new Imperial Arm was based on Dust Release from the Naruto series.**


End file.
